


Curses and blood drops

by NekoNice



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Blood Drinking, Blood and Violence, Depression, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, Vampire Lance (Voltron), Vomiting, Witch Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 21:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16354532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoNice/pseuds/NekoNice
Summary: Pulling the thread letting it loosen up and tighten, letting it flow over his fingertips as the air around Keith gets heavy and thick. A dream catcher, it's such a simple spell Keith can do it in his sleep. Dreams are nothing more then memories on displayed and as such memories can't all be good, Keith would know. So he just has to play with that, cursing the thread so that it'll show the pleasant thoughts and feelings of a person. Pulling the strings of someone's mind to what they desire to see.The girl on the other side of the counter is looking at his hand attentively, to her he's just spinning the thread around a circle made of sticks, nothing special but then again she can't sense or see the magic around him. The air around his hands filled with it, to Keith it looks like purple smoke and he watches as it dance's over his fingertips, as it curls around the thread and embedded itself into the core of the wool. His eye glowing and cursing it with the words of spell's in his mind and does trapping the smoke inside.Aka a keith!witch and Lance!vampire au. Where Keith an Immortal witch ends up with a freshly bitten vampire at his shop.





	1. Desperately

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in such a Halloween mood and all the klance au's that come with it are amazing but I wanted to throw my own thing in the mix, so Keith as the witch and Lance as the vampire. This will not be finished before Halloween, no by a long shoot but I'm still going to continue it regards because I had a lot of fun writing this. Anyway, enjoy <3

Pulling the thread letting it loosen up and tighten, letting it flow over his fingertips as the air around Keith gets heavy and thick. A dream catcher, it's such a simple spell Keith can do it in his sleep. Dreams are nothing more then memories on displayed and as such memories can't all be good, Keith would know. So he just has to play with that, cursing the thread so that it'll show the pleasant thoughts and feelings of a person. Pulling the strings of someone's mind to what they desire to see.

The girl on the other side of the counter is looking at his hand attentively, to her he's just spinning the thread around a circle made of sticks, nothing special but then again she can't sense or see the magic around him. The air around his hands filled with it, to Keith it looks like purple smoke and he watches as it dance's over his fingertips, as it curls around the thread and embedded itself into the core of the wool. His eye glowing and cursing it with the words of spell's in his mind and does trapping the smoke inside.

Keith's shop is pretty well known, dream catchers are the most popular, but he also has keychains sometimes enchanted sometimes people just like what Keith does with the wood or stone. Magical items can better be enchanted if they are handcrafted so Keith makes mostly everything in his shop. It's funny, he can remember a time where even a mention of a shop like the one he has now had pitchforks and torches high in the sky.

Keith finish the spell in his mind, his eyes going from golden fireflies to there original violet colour. The smoke around him getting thinner as he breathes it in through his nose. He finished the last knot and holds the dream catcher in front of him, the strings handing loss at the bottom with yarn tassels at the end. Looking over it again to see if he tied everything correctly, does Keith deem it completely finished.

He puts it in a paper bag that has the logo and name of the shop on it 'Marmora, magic and magical gifts.' He rings the girl up and hands her the bag. 

Keith isn't a therapist but he is an excellent people watcher and he's seen a lot of people. There's a reason his dream catchers are so popular, because they actually work. He's seen a lot of soldiers and people with cuts they are trying to hide or other things that would trouble someone's mind. This girl doesn't have any of that, but her eyes speak for her. 

Eyes are the window to the soul and breathing is the fuel to push you forward. As a witch, those things are what Keith learned first because when he uses his magic those two things show themselves in their most purest ways. His eyes glowing the colour of his soul so that his spells can take root like the way his soul is rooted into himself and his breathing turning into smoke as it fuels the magic around him.

Even people without the ability to form magic have souls, obviously, but Keith is able to see the small part that is magic within a person and that part often reflects their personality, how that person is feeling and if they have been cursed or are involved with magic. 

Keith didn't even need to focus on the girl's soul, the bag's under her eyes said enough, even so, the colour of her soul was dark almost like it was going out, Keith could faintly see the remains of a colour close to brown, it was faint but there nonetheless. It was also a sign that this must be her despite attempt to at least sleep better because let's be honest in this day and age who believes that dream catchers actually work, they are nice for decoration but for the people who actually needed help sleeping it sounded like a despite joke. So Keith often had people with bags under their eyes and whatever other issues that could cause lack of sleep come in, maybe they had heard of him through other people with the same issues or maybe they really where despite. 

Whatever the case, Keith makes bank because of it.

The girl rigidity takes the bag as if she's on edge. Keith has his suspicions that some of his costumers knew of his true nature. Scratch that, Keith know's some of his customers know, but he can manipulate the once that do and the once who just thinking he's weird he ignores, his products work and look good so no one can really say anything, they can accept the fact that he's uncommon and does weird in their eyes or just move along and give him his money.

This girl seemed to get it, handing him her money and only giving him one last weird look before she walks to the door. Keith doesn't watch her out, instead cleans up the mess that was left over from crafting and cursing the dream catcher. But out of the conor of his eyes he sees something move. Sensing is a better word to describe it, like the movement is unnatural and does has the hairs on the back of Keith's neck standing up straight.

He looks over just as the bell at the top of the door rings, the girl that he just rang up was what caused the bell to ring by opening the door, but as she steps out a man in a long black coat and blue scarf dumps into her. He apologizes and steps inside, the door falling shut behind him as the girls goes on her way.

Keith senses are thrown for a loop, the vibes coming from this man are all over the place. It's overwhelming, yet Keith has a feeling it's familiar to him somehow. Only when Keith isn't looking for a magical or cursed solution does he figure it out. Looking outside, the way the man is dressed and seems nervous, hands in his pockets and hunched over slightly, every puzzle pieces falls into place and this realization has Keith almost flying through the roof.

This I'll be exciting.

A smirk finds it's way cruling up Keith lips and in one last thought before the man can get to the counter, does Keith sum up a small wind spell and directeds at the door, his eyes glowing for less then a second. In one unnoticeable swift of air does the 'open' sign at the door fall to the word 'closed' and with that an other spell activates that's embedded within all the items in the shop window.

Dream catcher hanging there, clocks, keychains all cursed and only activate when the sign at the door says closed. It's a barrier, not only does it protect the shop against Intruders, but also forms an illusion that is basically a picture of the shop. Keith does this so on one will see him when he let's loses, apparently people find it very strange when they see a boy flying in the air with a book floating next to him.

The man comes up and leans his arms on the counter, his almost golden brown skin pops out well against the dark coat and his blue scarf almost as blue as his eyes suits him well. 

"Hi, I um.." the man try's to talk, posture awkward.

"Hello there stranger." Keith greetings, standing tall. "What brings you to my little shop?"

"I um..." The man's scarf had fallen from his coat and he was nervously playing with the end of it. "I have a problem." 

Ain't that the truth, this could have been a huge problem. God Keith is so lucky this man actually started looking for help or is despitefully trying to at least.

"I'm know for solving...... particular problems." Keith smirked as he finishes the sentence and got a nervous chuckle out of the man in front of him.

"I-" the man suddenly stands up straight. "I'm sorry this is stupid, there's no way anyone would believe-"

"Try me." Keith learnt on the counter, hand under his chin. "You'd be surprised how much I believe."

The man sight long and loud, yet his next words are a whisper. "I don't even believe it." 

With those words it's silence, only the sounds of many old clock's ticking around the shop being heard. Keith breaths in and takes a chance.

"Your a vampire." There's a questioning edge to his voice, because yeah Keith can see the signs there but it's also been so long since he's seen a vampire. 

The man just states at him eyes as big as tennis balls and his mouth hanging open. "How did you-?"

So Keith was right, naturally. The raven haired man stands up straight again, his lips cruling and he doesn't loss eye contact with the now known vampire in front of him. 

"The coat your wearing is black and long so it can shut out most of the sunlight, it being cloudy outside helps, but a long and thick coat is a savety precaution at best. The scarf not only hides your neck but if the sun becomes to much for your face you can use it as a shield. It's not cold outside even if it's cloudy so the whole outfit is just to much." Those where the things Keith picked up on, unrelated any magical solution, but the things that where the cherry's on top was his eyes, or in better words his soul, screaming red like fresh blood and his breathing, the lights blue of smoke even seeming to flow from his skin. Oh yes this guy was a vampire and it seems he hadn't tasted blood yet. "And, well I'm a witch so naturally I can sense these things." Keith gave half a smirk, amused at the still shocked man.

"Y-your a-" the brown haired man steps back in shook, his breathing suddenly getting heavy and for a moment Keith things his going to go into full on panic mood, but then he slams his hands on the counter and fastly rips his scar from his neck. "I need your help!" He's frantic, scarf falling to the ground and revealing a bite mark on his left side of his neck. "I was bitten five d-days ago well getting home from work." His voice studres and broke and he closes his eyes. "I-i thought I was going to die."

"I'm surprised they let you life to be honest." Keith say, hand now back under his chin, only emotion in his voice curiousity.

"Wha-?"

"Vampires usually kill when they feed, they are every territorial." Keith explains. "Anyway continue." 

The man blink's a few times at the new information and then with a shaky voice continues. "I- I just hurried home. Didn't believe it actually happened." He closes his eyes and continues. "It happened on Friday so thankfully I had the weekend to process." The man gave an akward chuckle. "I decided that it was some for of stressed induced hallucination." The man puts his hands to his face and massages his eyes. "And then I went outside-"

"And almost burnt to death." Keith finish for him.

"Yeah..." the man sights and hangs his head. "listen this if fucked up and I honestly don't care if you're a witch, a demon or play with voodoo dolls-"

"Voodoo dolls are so old fashion-"

"-But I already called in sick to work for three and I can't only go on cloudy days. I need to go to work and- fuck! Just have my life back." The man's shaking. "Can you help me?!"

Keith looked him over. "How did you find me?" He asks squinting his eyes.

The man gives a small laugh. "I googled. I was in a panic and there isn't really a 'i turned into a vampire' hotline." Keith chuckles. "Your shop was the closest and I can admit I'm despite."

Keith leans back and stretched his arm above his head, sighing as his joints pop. "So what will it be then? You want something against the sun-"

"Change me back into a human." 

The words leave the man so despitefully, so vulnerable. Keith stares for a good half a second arms still in the air and then he almost falls over laughing. The vampire face gose from shocked to angery at Keith's laughter, so Keith has to talk through it to explain himself. "V-vampires are magic users just like me." Keith couches out, finishing his laughing fit. "It's written in to their core- their soul." He still has to get one last giggle out. "Honestly, if you don't want to exist as a vampire the best option is to kill yourself." Keith leans on the counter. "That's what all vampires did in the past, as far as I know they all went extinct. Your the first vampire I've seen in a long time."

The vampire grabs at his heart at those words, shaking violently as he holds the counter so he doesn't fall to the ground, breathing picking up as he looks to the floor. The air grows thicker without him realising it. "I think I have a wooden stake in the back." The man gulps for air, then in a sharp notion he looks up at the witch in anger. 

Only to be met with golden glowing eyes and the realisation that the heavy air around him is purple in colour and coming from the mouth of the man in front of him. "Because what makes you think that I want you around." Keith stands up straight and tall, squinted his eyes at a vampire in front of him making the yellow light only seep out more. The whole shop is in a light purple fog the smoke at Keith's mouth the the darkest. "A vampire would only cause troubled." 

The man's knees give out, he holds on to the counter and looks Keith dead in the eyes, he blink's and Keith's gone. Shook immediately turns into fear as a hand lands on his right shoulder and on the same side Keith whisper's in his ears. "I use to know a time where vampire would beg on their hands and knees for witch's blood. How we controlled their. Every. Move." 

His eyes glowing like golden flames so bright, making the room shake and the smoke spread throughout shop it seemed to be seeping out of the wall's and everything in the shop is reacting to Keith's magic, the dream catchers having a purple glow around them. 

The vampire was close to crying, his shaking causing his grip on the counter to loosen and just when Keith decided this was enough, did someone decided it for him. 

A sound of something jumping onto the counter made Keith's head turn and with the motion his eyes turn back to normal. The heavy smoke that had that small shop shaking slowly thinning out. Red, a big fluffy and, you guessed it Red to Orange coloured cat sat on the counter with a sour look on her face. Keith groans and let his hand drop from the vampires shoulder as he walks back around the counter.

The heavily shocked man is staring at a spot on the counter, sweat on his forehead and breathing in a panicked state. Keith gets to his side of the counter again and puts his hand under his chin and with the other scratches his grumpy cats head. "Already then vampi, I'll make you a charm against the sun if that helps you feel better."

The vampire gives him a baffled look like he couldn't believe he was being talken to normally again, guess Keith scared him more then he thought, oh well. The vampire stood up knees wobbly and still holding the counter for dear life. He looks at the cat, who is still looking grumpy and is giving Keith the stink eye. "It's ok she's just a normal cat, she doesn't bite." He says as he stops petting her and moving away from the counter. "Wait right there." He walks to a door behind the counter that leads to the back of the shop, he faintly hears the man fall to the floor and little paws following after him.

He gets to his work place, tools for crafting wood, fixing old antique clocks or any other materials that could be used to make something hand made were scattered around the room. With a big book shelf agent the wall as well. Keith went through his little drawers where he kept all his keychains, charms and necklaces. He had his hand going through one of the drawers when he heard Red jump on the table next to him.

"Just a normal cat?"

Keith gave a mischievous chuckle.

"This guy turned into a vampire only a few days ago and I just revealed my truest from of magic to him. I think a talking cat would be a bit to much."

"Ooh yeah, almost suffocating someone with your magic. Totally not over the limit there." Keith states Red down as he takes the item he was looking for out of the drawer, Red takes up the challenge, holding keith's gaze in a mini staring competition. Keith eventually looked away to work the charm into a necklace. A pendant made from blue stone polished and carved himself, it looks like wave's are dancing like water around the oval shaped rock. Stone is a strong material so putting a barrier spell on it against the sun is doubled by the rocks strength. 

Red licks her fur, probably still judging him. "Vampires have to be told who's in charge, especially if they haven't taste blood yet, after that their true form can shine through." Keith simple say's.

Red is silence for a moment, eyes squinting at him he can feel it even well's not looking her way. "You think he'll come to you?" 

Keith puts the pendant with the necklace now attached onto the table and turns to look at Red, expression almost deadly. "Animal blood is like poison to them and once a vampire tasted human blood they will kill non stop for more, like a wide animal. If this guy wants any sort of a normal life back then I'm the best chance he's got."

Red smiles all knowingly, as much as a cat is considered to smile. "Maybe you should tell him that instead of intimidating him with your magic."

Keith gives a sharp breath of air through his nose, purple smoke flowing out as he does so. Red roles her eyes and jump's off the table to let Keith curse the pendant.

Keith returns to the shop and sees the vampire leaning on the counter, he's picked up his scarf and it's wrapped around his neck again. He immediately stand up straight as Keith walk's closer. "Here." He say as he holds up the necklace. "I enchanted the pendant so it'll protect you from the sun." Keith let's it hang from his fingertips, but as the man try's to take it Keith moves it away. "That I'll be thirty five dollars." The man looks dumbfounded, Keith gives an amused huff of breath. "What you think I'm turning a charity here." He moves the necklace away and holds out his open palm. 

The man groans and fishes in his coat pockets for his wallet. He gives the money and Keith moves to give him the necklace. He gives it and once the vampire has it in his fist does Keith grab his wrist and pulling him close, he whisper's his next words with depth to them. "You talk about the sunlight and how you want your life back and now that you know that isn't an option you need to start thinking of the next big issue." The vampire swallows thickly. "Animal blood will be like drinking acid burning your inside and if only a drop of human blood ever finds it's way into your system I will make it my personal job to kill you." Keith close his eyes. "Witch's are immune to vampire venom, we don't turn and you can have your fill." Keith let's go and stand up straight. "You can find me on sunny days now so come by when you've decided. Whatever you decide is up to you, just know that I gave you a choice." 

Keith's eyes glow and a breath of wind ruffles the vampires hair and with that the sign at the door falls back to 'open' again. The vampire looks at the door and back at Keith, holding the pendant thigh to his chest. He starts to head for the door but before he can get to it Keith calls out to him. 

"Oh by the way, what's your name?" 

The vampire looks at Keith and quietly answer.

"Lance."

Keith smirks. "Well Lance, I'm Keith. Thank you for shopping by Marmora, magic and magical gifts." The tone in voice changes. "Hope to see you again soon."

Lance opens the door of the shop making the bell ring but doesn't step out. Keith looks up as he notices this. He was getting ready to clean up mess from the dream catcher, again. Lance looks at Keith with a troubled frown and calls out one last question. "What will happen to the-" He takes a slow breath. "The vampire that bite me."

Keith could laugh, as if this guy didn't know already. "Don't worry. I'll kill them soon."


	2. Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance cones to turms with the terrifyingly hungery monster within him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!  
> this chapter contains: vomiting, blood, panic attacks and mention of depression. Please read with caution.
> 
> Well hello there, hope you had a great Halloween and are still up for some spooks. 
> 
> This is really long, mostly because I needed this to be out of the way and didn't feel like splitting it up, I also have no self-control (this chapter was originally supposed to be longer.) Because it's this long I may have missed some errors, if you find any please point them out to me so I can fix and learn from them.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy <3

The pendant worked, even though Lance was terrified that his skin would be hissing and bubbling again the moment he stepped out into the sunlight. The day after he went to Marmora Lance called work to say he was coming back in. He works as a freelance phone operator and helps people on the phone with any product issue they may have for whatever company he may be working for.

So he works Indoors the only time he has to be in the sun was getting too his car in the morning and maybe when he went home again, but it's October so most of the time the sun is down when he leaves to go home.

Standing in front of the exit of his apartment building, heart beating a mile a minute the sound ringing in his ears. He isn't even standing right in front of the revolving door, the sunlight shining through the glass making him stand at least two feet away, but the memory of casually walking to the door and then having his skin melt off, has him holding back.

He groans, holding the pendant tightly through his jacket. How was any of this real? Lance would be thanking the person who's playing this sick prank on him the moment they came out with the hidden cameras. But then the questions of how? How was all of this fake? How did they do that in the shop? The smoke seeping throughout the wall of the tinny room, from the raven-haired man and the way it seemed to crawl under his skin making his own body turn against him. How that guy had disappeared and reappeared with a hand on Lance's shoulder making him wish he was never born to feel such shakingly terrifying power. How would they explain that night, when he was sure his neck was going to be bitten right through by a monster having given him this curse and the sunlight, the reason Lance is now standing paralyzed, how would they explain that? How could they, Lance couldn't even begin to understand. Shaking his head he looks straight ahead.

Fuck this.

He stepped forward, fast and swift no going back, the sun pricking in to his eyes as he steps through the revolving door, but Lance welcomes it with open arms, the sun's rays warming him up as the chilly wind ruffles his hair and Lance smiles at the sky, hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun.

Fuck this, fuck that witch and whatever he had to say. No way is Lance going to stand for this, his going to get his life back. Going to work, going out with his friends, flirting with guys and girl's alike, visiting his family and getting to hang out with his obnoxious siblings. It's a normal boring life but one he's so happy to have, no way is he going to give it up.

***

Lance has been working for this company for a good month or so now, working as a freelance means he changes companies a lot, but he's pretty sure he likes it here that best. Not because of the work oh no, helping people on the phone was a hassle to put it lightly. He loved his colleagues and the many friends he's made working here. There has been talk about him getting a full-time position and Lance wouldn't be able to say yes fast enough.

The eighth-floor building is big and tall with many other professions for many different floors, Lance knows at least one person off of every floor and as he walks into the lobby he's immediately greeted with smiles and good mornings.

"Good morning Lance, good to see your feeling better today."

"Morning Lance, nice to have you back it was getting boring here already."

"Freelancer! What's up!"

Lance greets high fives and smiles at everyone he meets along his way to the elevator and pushes the button to get to his floor. The doors open to a girl with long brown hair standing in the elevator with a Starbucks cup in one hand and the other her phone, she looks up to meet Lance eyes and smile. "Look who's back."

Lance smirk and steps in next to her. "Guess I couldn't stay away from you."

She huffs out a breath, but smiles "You've definitely used that one before." She says, looking back to her phone.

"Maybe because I've used them all on you." Lance says back smoothly.

She groans but the smile curling further onto her lips is hard to miss, she presses the button and the doors start to close. Halfway up she turns to him an edge of concern on her face. "You ok? You usually never call in sick, even when you should." She gives a small chuckle but still seems serious in her concern.

"Awww, Rose." He playfully pokes her in the side, laughing as she slaps his hand away.

"Shut up!" But Rose is laughing, a blush on her cheeks. "If this is what I get for worrying about you I'll never do it again."

Lance put his hand together, intertwining his fingers and laying his cheek against them, eyes sparkling and smile wide. "You were worried about me~." He bats his eyelashes and gets a sharp push against his shoulder. Once his laughter dies down he gives her an thankful smile. "I'm fine Rose, thank you." He looks down. "This just- hit me hard I guess."

She gives him a side glance and sighs. "Well, I guess it's good that you're taking better care of yourself." She looks at him then, like something just popped up in her head. She gives him a frown and a pout. "You did eat breakfast this morning I hope?"

Lance chuckles. "Don't worry I did." He actually ate four full bowls of cereal and instead of getting his usual drink at Starbucks he got a muffin. He's more than full he's stuffed, yet he can't seem to get satisfied.

The two of them got to their floor and as they went to their desks more people said good morning or were happy to see Lance back again, he and his colleagues talk amongst themselves for a while before getting to work and as such wave's of 'good morning, how can I help you?' flooded the office.

It's boring and sometimes stressful work, the same phrases the same kind of people with usually identical problems as the other. Yet Lance keeps being polite gets them the help they need and gets to the next person. Sometimes even cracking a few jokes here and there, he's a social guy so it comes naturally to him. He like the challenge too, because oh boy do some of these people challenge is mental state sometimes.

Lance's break is almost upon him and at that time he's had at least two prank calls and probably nine people screaming and refusing to listen to him, a good morning altogether and lunch has Lance excited because he gets to hang out with his best friend Hunk. The two of them went to the same college together and lived together afterward for a while as well. Hunk eventually moved out but they kept in contact.

Lance remembers how happy he was when he told Hunk his new position was at this company and Hunk saying he worked there too, they threw a mini party to celebrate. Hunk works as an engineer on one of the floors, Lance doesn't know exactly what he does but he knows Hunk and he's fucking smart, so he must be doing something important.

So getting down to the cafeteria he immediately spotted Hunk, he already has his lunch box out. Lance gets a package of sandwiches from the vending machine and plops down facing Hunk, who's already started on this homemade sandwiches. Hunk looks at Lance's saggy factory-made food and gave him a dry look.

"You keep forgetting to make lunch." It wasn't a question, it was more like he was stating a fact.

Lance bite into his sandwich, it isn't that bad, Hunks just being a mom. "Come on Hunk I need my beauty sleep." That is a lie, the truth is Lance only got sleep for two or three hours at least and when he woke up he was to busy getting four full bowls of cereal down his throat fast enough, he didn't really think of the food that would come later.

Rose walks over to them, a plastic container holding salad in her hand. "Hello, boy's."

"Hi, Rose." Hunk greets her back, getting ready to take another bite out of his sandwich.

"My lady." Lance says as he moves over so she can sit next to him.

She rolls her eyes but still takes a seat next to him, puts her plastic container on the table and pops the lid off. "So Hunk." She starts as she puts dressing on her salad. "You know anything about the new app they're supposedly working on?"

Hunk smiles. "Not may department sadly, though I am interested in the rumors. I've also heard they're having problems on the server, but that could mean anything."

Rose smiles and the conversation continues, Lance stopped listening not really interested in the topic, he's heard the rumors but it's so boring a high schooler could think up a better story. 'the new app their working on could crash the company.' what does that even mean? How are they going to crash? And why? Will they go bankrupt? Or just the computers? All these rumors only start because people are bored.

"Hello, earth to Lance!" Rose says a mouth full of salad, well she waves a hand in front of his face.

Lance pushed her hand away. "What?" He snaps back, mouth just as full of food.

Rose giggle's and talks again when she's swallowed the food in her mouth. "I was asking what you think about the rumors?"

Lance rolls his eyes and slugs down his seat, head against the back of his chair. "It's stupid that those rumors even exist."

Rose gives him a look as she smiles. "I thought you of all people would be interested in gossip."

"Correction." He says, raising up one finger. "I'm interested in good gossip."

Rose gives a breath full chuckle. Lance raises his other hand and takes the last bite of his sandwich, he reaches over to eat the second one but it's already gone. Had he already eaten both of them? But he's still so hungry, groaning he gets up.

"Where are you off?" Hunk says as he takes a sip of his drink.

"Getting more sandwiches."

"More?! Did you forget to eat breakfast again?" Hunk sounds disappointed but not surprised.

"He said to me he did." Rose turned to look at him. "Were you lying to me McClain?" She says in a serious tone but Lance knows she's teasing him.

"Come on guys!" He says with a pout. "I'm a growing boy."

"Nice excuse." Hunk response dryly.

Before Lance can walk away to the vending machine is Rose pushing her salad his way, there's a light blush on her cheeks as she ruffles through her bag not looking at him as she speaks. "Don't waste your money on that machine. I brought to much salad anyway, you can have half of it if you want." She turns to him as she finished the sentence, a shy smile showing brightly.

Lance can feel the blush creeping on his cheeks as he sits back down. "S-sure, if you're ok with it." He can feel Hunk's eyes on him and curses his voice for breaking.

Rose smiles soft and kind but then her face frowns as she goes through her bag, she groans and moves to get up. "I think I left my phone in the office, I'll be right back." She gets up and starts walking to the elevators but stops in her tracks to turn back around and call out. "And Lance please leave some salad for me, thank you!"

Lance smiles as he watches her go then turns back to the food in front of him, only to come face to face with Hunk's big and bright smile reaching all the way to his eyes who almost seem to sparkle. He has his hands under his chin as he keeps giving him an all-knowing look.

"Shut up your face!" Lance blurred out.

"Awww." Hunk said in a teasing way, hands moving with his face as he tilts to the side slightly.

"I don't want to hear it." Lance pokes the salad but there's a shy smile on his blushy face.

"Come on man." Hunk say's loudly hands going down to lay on the table. "She obviously likes you."

Lance continues poking at his food, face now fallen to a natural expression. "I don't-" he sighs looking at Hunk. "I don't think it's a good time."

Hunk frowns in confusion. "Not a good time! You've been dreaming about having someone since the day I met you."

He has, he's wanted that amazing romantic story that they would later tell their children. College seemed like the place he was going to have his dream come true, at least that's what he thought in high school. In the end, the work and his mental state got the best of him. It's not that he had given up on his so desired romance.

He just didn't imagine it would turn into Twilight.

"Hunk please." He looks to the side in thought. He feels guilty for keeping this from his best friend, but what is he going to do, Hunk will think he's crazy. No, he'll figure this out on his own. "It's- some stuff just-" he sighs.

Hunk looked puzzled, concern clear on his face as he reached over to lay his hand onto Lance's shoulder. "Lance." He looks him dead in the eyes. "You'll tell me when something's wrong, right?"

Lance was confused by that, then as if a light lit up above his head. "Oh Hunk, not like that. I'm fine, haven't been to therapy in three months and I'm off my med-"

"Lance." Hunk gives him a stern look, making it harder for Lance to lie to him.

"I'm fine Hunk." He hoped his smile was convincing enough, he's gotten good at the craft of faking a smile. It seems so because Hunk returns the smile wholeheartedly.

"I got your back yeah." Where Hunk's last words before biting into his sandwich again.

"Yeah." Lance says taking a bite of the salad.

This is the worst, the absolute worst. He hates lying to Hunk especially when he's been there with him for the parts of his life that were a complete mess. He knows he can trust Hunk, yet this is weird, unbelievable and all-out crazy talk, 'i turned into a vampire' yeah no, not happening. He's going to fix this.

Rose comes back, phone in hand and they finish their meal together. Lance went to the bathroom before he and Rose went back up to their floor to see if the make up he used to cover up the bite marks is still there. He doesn't want to be in there for too long because he does look like floating clothes in the mirror and having to explain that would be a difficult situation. Staying away from mirrors or anything that can reflect, rest in peace skincare routine.

The day ended on more of the same, phone call after phone call and then he's finally free. He says goodbye to everyone as he leaves the building. Dinner consistent of three pizzas and he ends up getting a fourth one later on in the night, he goes to bed and not two seconds after he hits the pillow he falls asleep, feeling pleased with how today went.

***

Waking up was like lifting weights off of his eyelids, body covered in sweat yet the coldness underneath his skin screams at him with no remorse. His head is spinning as he sits up and lifts up his heavy legs to step out of bed. Walking to the bathroom almost on instinct he looks in the mirror, either on accident or to check if his skin isn't breaking, but his met with nothing. He let out a long sigh as he goes to take a shower, his heavy head not seeming any better when he gets out, he put some of then make up powder or whatever it was on his neck, praying it doesn't look weird because he couldn't see if it matched his skin.

He got dressed and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast, he was dying to get some food in him even if he's nauseous, his want for food to overpowering. It's so overpowering, without thinking he somehow ended up making an omelet and got a bowl filled to the brim with cereal. He needed food, would feel better with food inside him.

Getting to his omelet first, cutting it up into prices he can't get it to his mouth fast enough, one moment he finally has a piece on his fork the next it's in his mouth.

The second omelet meets tongue he's gagging, nauseous doubling over to hundred and he knocks over his cereal as well as the chair he's sitting in as he dashes to the kitchen sink, spitting out the bite of omelet and throwing up the non-existent food in his stomach.

Breathing heavily he let his head rest on the kitchen countertop, once he's got enough oxygen in and his panic under control does his body declare war on him, he groans as his legs begin to shake and he feels his energy slipping away.

His stomach growl's empty and despite.

Lance opens his eyes no realizing he had closed them and pushes himself up and away from the counter. Looking down in the sink with disgust he washes it away and walks back to the table. He cleans up the spilled milk and cereal, sets the chair straight and threw away the omelet.

Without looking back, without thinking or questioning anything he grabbed his bag lets it hang from his shoulder and walks to the front door. Ignoring the events that just took place, ignoring his body and the aching screams it was sending to him like alarms. He ignored it all, keeps walking.

Keeps moving forward.

***

His aura was what caused people to stop and look at him, the usual cheerful greetings falling flat as people saw Lance's state. He was grumpy, looked tired and the to himself unnoticeable fast pace he had made it seem to people that he wasn't up for talking. Which was true, Lance wanted to get to his desk as quickly as he can, helping people and doing his work will be a distraction he strongly desires.

He was almost to the elevator just a little further-

"Lance wait up!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, letting his head roll back as he takes in an insane amount of air and lets it out making his body feel at ease for not even a second as he turns around with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Rose."

She stops in front of him friendly smile on her face a good morning already on her lips but instead her face falls to concern. "Oh god, Lance are you ok?" She steps forward and continues voicing her concerns.

Lance isn't listening because now he's standing still, his body is catching up to him and it's all over the place. His head, his arms, his legs, his rib cage holding his uncontrollable beating heart. The hairs on every part of his body reaching out to anyone- any person walking by, like Lance can feel their lives as inanimate objects that he can take to soothe screaming pain.

He wouldn't.

"Lance?"

He opens his eyes hadn't realized he had closed them, the moment he does so he sees the quick movement of a hand going over his vision and the second it touched his forehead, it's like his body had become a person selfish and wanting, knowing what it needed and desperately, forcefully screaming at him to take it, take her.

Kill her.

He slapped her hand away so fast, move's- runs away. He just has to get upstairs has to get to work, has to distract himself and it will all be ok. He can hear Rose calling out after him, but he's to busy running getting away from the lobby, from the many people here. He runs past the elevator to the staircase, it was as if he toke two steps and he was suddenly on the fifth floor. He didn't think about it, all he wanted to think was getting to work, getting to the thing he knows will make all of this go away, to make all of it feel normal again.

You would think that an office full of people would be the opposite of a good place to be right now, Lance learned that the moment he stepped into the room filled with life's, people talking and as they see him greetings with good mornings leave their lips, Lance doesn't respond to any of them. He finds his bearings after the slap in the face from the amount of people and walks to his station puts his headset on and gets to work.

He goes numb, let's his body rage on as he goes into autopilot, lets the words flow out of himself. Lets the familiarity of the feeling ground him and slowly he forgets about the people around him, ignores the feeling of hunger and wanting that he's compressing deep within.

He doesn't have time to let his own personal bubble take form however because he's interrupted by a hand on his shoulder and it's as if his own blood stops it's flow, instead going to the place of contact as if maybe it could join with the other person's skin.

Lance swallows thickly and try's to gently slap the hand away as fast as possible, turns to look at the person as he does so, Rose looking back at him with an almost angry frown on her forehead, an edge of concern in her eyes as she looks at her hand that was just slapped away.

"Lance-" he cuts her off holding up one finger, he's in the middle of a call. Once his guided the person on the other side of the line to a solution does he turn with guilt and dread in his stomach to face Rose.

She has her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look on her face as she speaks. "You're sick."

"Rose-"

"You have a fever."

Lance sighs, no way is he going to get out of Rose's caring yet sternly so speech, but he can't keep this up, needs to get to work, needs to feel normal.

"And slapping me away- I get that you don't want me to mother you but I just want you to take-"

He stops listening or better yet, his body is being too loud for him to hear. His head is screaming and he rubs his temples with one hand trying to soothe it but to no avail. He closes his eyes, he just had silence, he just found a way to numb the feeling. His insides cramp up and release in a wave of anger that increases itself with his acing body. The anger leaves his mouth before any rational thought can tell him otherwise.

"Rose!" It's loud, echoing and he hears several people needing to reassure their clients on the other side of their headsets. It's a rule, no shouting in the office.

Lance opens his eyes looking at Rose's shocked expression, anger now gone and guilt replacing it.

Lance sits up, apologize ready but then Rose's expression changes from shooked to disappointed she looks away, you can see her thinking and as she looks back gives a small almost guilty smile.

"Until lunch break." Before Lance can respond she quickly adds. "Please. I-i know you want to push yourself but please remember to take care of yourself to."

Lance's lips are pushed in a fine line, he didn't want to hurt Rose, she's one of his best friend's and has been his crush for some time now.

He nods. "Y-yeah, sorry." He sighs out the apology and rubs his hand over his face. "I'll go home at lunch break."

"Thank you." And that made Lance feel even more guilty. She cares, actual genuine care for his well being and he doesn't even have the energy to thank her as well.

So he went home. As everyone went to the cafeteria to eat lunch, he walks to the lobby with swift steps. The door is in his vision so close, but then he's stopped by a hand on his shoulder, irritation rises as he turns around but leaves him quickly as he comes face to face with Hunk.

"Rose told me you were going home sick." He's worried Lance can know that even if it wasn't all over his experience, browse frowned and eyes paint. Lance knows Hunk, know's that Hunk will always care for him.

"Yeah, as much as I don't like to attend it. Rose was right." Hunk gave a small chuckle, but it didn't seem his worries eased one bit.

"Will you be ok? Or do you want me to come over later?"

"I'll be fine Hunk, thank you." Lance was tired, everything in his body aching the moment he put his headset down. He was getting out of here, he could have gotten through the day, he's only going home because he snapped at Rose and feels bad for doing so.

"Ok, I'll see, when you get better. You hear me." He points his finger at him in a joking manner but he's serious in his message.

Lance laughs and he hopes it doesn't look forced. He gives him a wave and starts heading to the door again.

***

He's home, the door slowly falling close behind him as he just stands in the hallway staring into the living room feeling nothing, no more people around him, no more touch's, no more. Only hunger, only pain anger. The air around him feeling like needles in attacking his skin, breathing it in to get any clarity but his mind doesn't let him, only one thought.

Food.

He's moving, panting as he dashes through his living room, slamming his bag somewhere as he gets to the kitchen, pulling one of the cabinets doors off of it's hinges it now hanging on one as he gets a box of cereal and pours it into his mouth.

He's gagging, vomit filling his mouth as the box slips out of his hands spreading cereal all over the kitchen floor. He gets to the sink, drowning himself to get the food down, he hasn't had water today no a drop and as it mixes with the cereal it feels like poison dripping down his throat. He swallows and falls to the floor hand on his mouth as his insides push themselves back up. His forehead on the cold kitchen floor as he screams hitting his stomach over and over.

And then he's standing up, doing it again. Bread, sweets, prepackaged food, soda's, milk anything and everything in his kitchen all of it falling to the floor as he gags on it and continues.

His floor is covered in food and liquids, cabinets hanging open some torn from their hinges, light of the refrigerator reflecting in a pool of milk.

He's sitting in the corner of the kitchen, shirt stained with food and spots of vomit. Short breath like sobs leave his mouth forming a tight line as his body jump's trying to get rid of the unwanted substance in his stomach. He just swallows it back down and lets his sobbing continue, blinking slowly from time to time to let the water in his eyes run down his face. He sits there for a while, let's his body fight a war against his tired mind, doesn't think of the passing of time until his apartment is covered in orange light.

The gagging stopped after a while, still moving even his chest to breath was like torture. So he just sits there, letting his body rage on as tears fall from his eyes. His mind feels numb, not think, not looking just existing. His skin feels disgusting, dried up orange juice and milk seeping into his pores making a layer on his light brown skin. His long legs lay flat on the floor hands in his lap unmoving.

Closing his eyes he takes a deep breath and holds it, the presser of the air in his lungs growing as he refuses to breathe. He lets it out and like a wave crashing down on him, his mind returns to his body. He cries, mouth quivering as he bawls and sobs. There's a sudden need to move, to rash around, punch the floor and scream and then he's holding his knees to his chest rocking back and forth, feeling so small.

The pain didn't stop, he's still so hungry.

It's gotten dark, only the moon's light making its way into his bedroom. He somehow got to his bed, the need to move probably made him get up at some point. His bed was soft yet his uncomfortable body made it unpleasant, he kept turning discomfort not easing up and by doing so tangling the cover with his legs.

He fell asleep not because he was tired, he was, but because the pain he feels from his bones to the air laying on his skin made him pass out. 

***

He didn't remember waking up. Didn't remember leaving his apartment, getting into his car, stepping through the doors of the company building. Only when he stood in the lobby, with only silhouettes of people walking past him did he regain a form of consciousness and the smells that filled him made his mouth water, looking around to what could be the source of it did he only find the silhouettes and the many colors they came in, the colors flowing around him like smoke as he tasted the air. Letting his neck roll back and his mouth open as the smells wash over him.

He wanted it, needed it and it was so close he could just take it, could take any color around him and finally settle his uncontrollable hunger-

He heard his name, somewhere in the hazy void of colors and silhouettes around him, looking forward he sees Rose. She isn't a silhouette yet it looks like her outline is pulsing, vibrating as pink and red smoke flows from her freckled skin. Her mouth was moving shook and worry filled her eyes, he hadn't changed clothes, had slept with dried food on his skin and spots of vomit on his clothes. He probably looked like a mess, but he couldn't seem to care or notice.

The only thing he could think was how good she smelled, he can taste her in the air, so sweet like candy. She was talking more frantically now, but he can only hear her heart beat fast and pulsing the sound going all throughout her body and his eyes follow the flow, from her chest to her arms to her legs and then her neck-

Everything comes crashing down all at once, the haze, the colors, silhouettes turning back into people who give him weird expressions as they look his way and quickly go back to their work. Noice ringing in his ears smells actually going hysterically crazy as they hit him all combined.

He's panting, panicking mouth watering as he realizes what he's doing and-

"Lance!" Rose screams as she catches him and her sweet smell has him pushing her to the ground. He can't, can't be here, can't control his body.

"Work... Have to get to..." He can hear Rose from the floor calling out to him, but he's running getting to his desk not even registering dashing up the stairs, putting his headset on-

_He has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, has to work, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal, make it normal-_

"Hello?" A woman's voice on the other side of the line, the small greeting triggering every fiber in his mind, body, and soul to explode. He's mind shattering into little pieces, can feel himself losing thoughts, losing power, losing the lie he put up as he realizes. What has he been doing? He hasn't been getting his life back.

He's been ignoring it.

The only thing he has done was get the necklace, that was the only problem he saw as absolute, a physical problem keeping him away from work. This? This hunger, this person he's becoming, he's ignoring it, like all his problems he bottles it up and keeps going.

 _"You talk about the sunlight and how you want your life back." Lance_  grabs his heart, standing up and topples over his desk chair as the words ring in his mind. _"And now that you know that isn't an option"_  his eyes sting as they go wide. _"you need to start thinking of the next big issue."_

He doesn't breath, can't seem to move, can only focus on his bones breaking themselves apart like the inside of his being as they push themselves to his mouth and he's gasping lips moving open without him having any say in it. His fangs extend, tears pricking at the back of his eyes and he realizes.

He's lost it. He's lost his humanity.

The headset is smashed into his desk as a hand goes to cover his mouth and every single fiber of hunger and pain in his body up to his point is attacking him all at once. Skin, smell, hearing, seeing, all of it taking his now vulnerability after his realization as a chance to get control, to get blood.

He's out the door before he can even register taking the first step down the stairs. He's so hungry and there are still so many people outside, he has to get away. He's not gonna hurt anyone, no matter how hungry he is, no matter the amount of pain his own body is inflicting on him. He will not hurt an innocent person although, with the amount of hunger and his new found instincts, he's sure he would kill.

He finds himself at a park, almost no people because of it being a weekday, people at school or working. In the distance, a man twirls his children around taking turns as they do so because the kids at his legs are grabbing him to a point that he's almost falling over. They look like ants, just tinny shadows playing in the grass yet Lance can hear them, hear their laughter and screams of joy, can hear their hearts beating as they tackle their father. He swallows around the lump in his throat as he keeps starting, setting his feet firmly on the ground to keep his body in place. With only so many people around the screaming pull his body still has on him is strongly directed at the joyful family. 

A small sound by the bench in front of him made his head turn. There is a pigeon, chirping as it hops about. A thought still his own made it's way into his mind, hopeless and scared. Blood he just needs blood, with that thought immediately the pull became stronger almost pushing him over, every sense he had begging him towards the family.

He was breaking, hunger to great, pain too much. Air growing thick around him and mouth opening as his fangs show themselves. Then he was sprinting, going forward and as he felt a life going out in his hands.

He blackout.

***

How was any of this real? What god would be so satanic to torture someone like this? He had it all, a loving and supporting family, a stable job, amazing friends and a crush he was going to act upon if none of this ever happened. What kind of fate is this?

How did he get here? He was in his apartment on the living room floor, no recollection of what happened, no memory of getting home. He felt cold like his soul has left his body and his mind had stopped fighting against the pain.

He looks to the floor where a dead pigeon lies, feathers of the neck falling out and a handprint clearly there. He killed it, had killed a living being, snuffed out its life and only remember doing it vaguely. How did he ever might too get in in his apartment without anyone noticing? Not that it mattered, nothing matters anymore.  
Lance looks at the dead pigeon, dead eyes meeting dead eye. It's so silent in his tinny apartment compartment to the raging tornado of panicked words in his head.

Heavy breathing, skin glistening with sweat as his mouth open's and eyes prickle with tears. Fangs make themselves present once again and he can't stop it, even though his body repulses against the idea, but Lance needs blood and he's letting go, letting his control slip away. Even with the sour smell of pigeon blood and the remorseful feeling in his stomach getting to it's highest peak. His mouth opened until the sides of his mouth burnt and his jaw aches, he closes his eyes as he rolls his head back and says goodbye to the little bit of humanity he had left.

Then the pigeon is in his hands and not a second last to his mouth. He bits, feathers feeling soft at the side of his mouth, yet disgusting mixed with spit, for a moment that might have been the only unpleasant thing but then teeth pies bird flesh and blood is dripping down his throat.

The pain is instant, growing as the blood sinks to his stomach. He can't get his drilled in teeth out of the flesh fast enough and ends up taking a piece of it with him as he rushes to the sink too once again spit out the tormenting substance he put in his mouth, yet this time he's not gagging or vomiting, he's burning, being incinerated from the inside out. He adds water to without thinking, surely that will put out the flames, but before he can even wash his mouth he's gagging and choking.

_"Animal blood will be like drinking acid"_

The witch's words spiral in his mind. He should have listened, shouldn't have been so naive. That Witch was the only solution he could find and he went and ignore him.

_"burning your inside"_

He's shaking, holding his stomach as flames coursed through his veins on a never-ending path to destroy him. He's losing his grip on reality as the burn eats into his bones and all he can do try to wash it out with water does making him vomit up nothing. Tears clouding his vision as he screams, ripping his vocal cords as he screech. His legs give out and he sinks to the still food cover floor.

The only thing he can do curl up in a ball, sobs and whimper leave. The pain drags out for what feels like forever, taking it's time to incinerate every sell he has. Once he's sure he's dying does he pas out and he embraces it.

***

Waking up wasn't slow it was sudden and by sensation, a smell like honey yet stern and warm. The thoughts of pain and why he was living where push to the side as he sensed this being in the elevator. Even if he wasn't a vampire he would probably know.

It's Hunk.

Of course, after what happened today Hunk would show up and for a moment Lance isn't resisting his urges, is actually giving up. Hunk would be food, Lance can feel his heart beat even though his friend is barely off the first floor. Lance close his eyes, let's himself imagine human blood on his tongue, his mouth open's fangs sharpen.

_"If only a drop of human blood ever finds it's way into your system I will make it my personal job to kill you."_

Eyes almost fall out of his skull as they snap open, he's up in a second, hand to his mouth as panic and disgust fill him. He was going to kill Hunk he was actually considering it. He needed to get out, get as far away as he can.

With this as his directions, he gets to the door, dashes through the building's hallways. He passes the elevator right as the doors open and Lance watches in horror as his best friends face goes from already concerned to shooked as Lance run's passed to the staircase. They make eye contact for only a moment and in the deepest darkest pit of Lance's mind does he bid his friend farewell.

He can hear Hunk scream out his name as tears fill him, he keeps running, down the stairs, through the revolving doors. It's dark, the star's, moon and street lights the only source that would allow vision to work although he doesn't seem to have that problem. Ignoring the fact that he's been laying in dried pigeon blood and spilled food for a good portion of the day, doesn't even notice his own wretched smell. The only thing he wants is to get away, from Hunk, from the people on the street, from the hunger he wouldn't be able to hold much longer.

So he's running, to where only his sense can tell him yet he knows exactly where he's headed. He's only been there once and that was with the help of Google maps, but now it's on instinct and as he gets to the street the smell of smoke, spices and that flaming power Lance was once pressured under.

Marmora in big letters above the door, Lance push against it with the intent to break the glass door with wooden frame, yet it wouldn't budge. Too panicked and eyes filled to the brim with tear does he not notice the 'closest' sign hanging against the other side of the glass, no lights or sign of life anywhere in the shop.

Lance pushes his nose to the glass with so much pressure either his nose or the glass will break. He hits it a couple of times yet it like his fists are hitting a wall. He cries against it howling almost, so close to the smell, his nose sniffing and as it does picking up something faint. He's sniffing around, in the air as he moves away from the door and it's as if a path is made for him by his own nose.

He's got his scent.


	3. The shambles of hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gose to find the vampire the bite Lance, but things take an unexpected turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write, even if i got sick halfway through. There is a lot of blood and heavy emotions in this chapter so please read with that in mind. 
> 
> Enjoy <3
> 
> (Keith's spell's are in the end note)

__It's dark, the cold night air blocked out by a leather jacket yet seeping through ripped jeans. He can hear the footsteps of paws in the darkness but doesn't look up, to busy focusing on the tinny glass bottle in his hand.

"You sure this searching spell is going to work?" Red speaks as she jumps on the big trash container at the side of the alley's wall. Keith can't see her the only light sources around him the moon, the star's and the bottle in his hand, the liquid inside changing colors as he adds different ingredients. He knows this spell like he knows how to breathe.

Keith chuckles, but there's a selfish undertone to it. "Even after all these years, you question my spell making?"

"Oh no sweetheart." She laid down, Keith can tell by the relaxed tone in her voice. "It's just that that's your last vampire tooth. Don't, you know, fuck it up."

Keith laughs, eyes squinting. "Glad for the lack of confidence."

"Your welcome honey."

"If things go well I'll have two more at the end of the night." He replies, It's smug and filled with self-confidence, but also daring like he can't wait to rip teeth out of mouths.

Those are Keith last words to Red before he goes back to finishing the potion. A poof of smoke imaging as he puts the last powdered up ingredient in. He holds the bottle tightly, his leather fingerless gloves pressing against the glass. The liquid glowing bright neon green, the light covering his face as he smiles mischievously.

Getting out a tinny box from his brown leather shoulder bag and opening it to reveal a tooth, sharp and covered in dried up blood. He holds it in his fist and places his balled up hand over the opening of the bottle.

He closes his eyes and breathes in letting smoke replies the air in his lungs as he breathes it out. Reopening his eyes, only letting slits of golden light flowing through.

_"Tel ym lous hcraes, tel ti dnif em tahw m'l gnikool rof."_

The words echo as he speaks them, smoke now with directions spinning around him fast the wind it creates ruffling his hair and blowing his jacket open revealing a red shirt. Purple smoke seeping from his body twirling around him like a tornado, nothing can be seen but slits of yellow eyes like lit matches in the purple darkness. He opens them wider let's golden yellow light seep into the tornado and then it's standing still in time, the stop not feeling abrupt even though the rotation was faster then blinking. In one motion the smoke is moving again but this time towards his fist, creeping passed his knuckles and make his hand shake. Keith doesn't waiver, having total control over his hand holding the tooth.

Then he drops it, drops the tooth in to the position and as all the remaining smoke gathers itself into the liquid does the tooth dissolve, making the position red in color but then in a sudden reaction It glows bright and blinding white neon light and it's a good thing Keith did this in an abandoned street alley but that was the plan, having done this spell numerous times.

The light settles down and the liquid holding it's final color, white with strings of red swimming through it, painting Keith's face in an interesting colour. He smiles at his creation the light making it look weird and almost evil in a sense.

"What if there are more then one?" Red questions, having lied further down on the edge of the trash container, not faced by Keith's magic in the slitist.

"Then I'll have a long night ahead of me." Keith awnsers simply, looking the position over every which way, admiring his work with the same smile on his face. He knows Lance aura, he'll be sure to filter him out.

"Cheers." Red comments dryly sitting up straight. Keith rises the tinny glass as if to tost and then brings the edge of the glass to his still curled up lips, takes a deep breath and then drinking until there's nothing left in the bottle. Whipping his mouth slowly not feeling anything yet, but knowing it's coming. He closes his eyes propering for the shook, but nothing happens. He opens his eyes, bottle in hand as his arms hang at the side, he makes eye contact with Red even though he can barely see her fluffy face in the dim moonlight, her blue greenish eye screams 'you fucked it up.'

But then there's a sudden tightness in his throat, breathing becoming harder and he drops the bottle as his hand's go to hold and scratches at his neck. He's hunched over almost falling to the ground, but then as he takes a choking breathe he throws his head back so fast he's sure he got a whiplash, eyes glowing like flares. The hold of his hands growing tighter around his throat, he's not breathing and he's about to faint, eyes roiling into the back of his head, when he suddenly screams the power releasing and with it rolling through the streets like earthquakes of smoke.

He's straight like a stick, head so far back his neck screaming from the strain. Little jump's shaking through his body, arms cramping up at his side, his fingers doing the same moving as if possessed. Eyes still glowing face pointed up to the sky the only relaxed muscles in his body.

Ever so slowly his body eases up and relaxes. He takes a choking breathe and straightens his neck, moving his head to ease the irritation. Moving on his feet from side to side, fingers still moving, eyes barely open only indication that they are by the yellow light coming off of them. A smile creeps it's way onto his face, corrupt and vile as it turns into laughter. It dies down quickly though and he takes sharp deep breaths as his body finally callms all the way.

Standing still, only movement the yellow light flowing into the dark air around him and then he opens his eyes, corrupt smile still on his face as he says.

"Your right Red." His tone is soft like a whisper, yet ice cold as it pierces through the air.

"There are two of them." His smiles grows with excitement to kill.

***

An abandoned unfinished office building, how original. To be far it is near the city's edge and no one in their right mind would wander around here, so these vampire know how to hide, but they are reckless, if letting a human get away has anything to say about them.

So Keith wanders through the building, Red went back to the shop when he left the alley to go vampire hunting, having no use for a cat that can only talk and not die. So he's alone, walking through the empty dark hallways with only streaks of moonlight. Going up levels and going down, the upper levels being closer to the moon there for less darkened. Then a sound catches his attention a chuckle, belonging to a girl, high pitched and like shadering glass. It echo's through the hallway he just turned to walk through.

Slowly, with cautious steps he follows the sound through the hallways. Moon light blue and bright shining through the holes where windows where supposed to be. He comes to a intersection of different hall's, looking into each dark pit he could walk through and he decided to go left, but as he turns the chuckle returns from the darkness of the right hallway.

He walks and the smell the creeps closer as he does so is horribly disgusting, like death, blood and routing flesh. He holds his nose as he comes to one of the empty office rooms and stands by the wall just before the opening where the door was supposed to be. Looking around the corner, the room must have been for a boss or someone with high status if the fact that it's almost on the top floor and the room is bathing in moon light from the amount of window hole's in the walls has anything to say about it.

Sounds, moaning and that ever anoying  
giggling. Keith looks further into the room and sees feet contacting to a body of thirty something man laying on the floor to one of the walls. His pale, any colour of life long gone from his face, eyes open same as his hanging mouth and by his neck is blood coming from gaping wounds of torn apart skin indicating how he lost his life.

Near his head leaning against the wall is a guy and a girl covered in blood, licking it off of eachother. The girl, blonde hair tight into pigtails is sitting in the guys lap. His hair also blonde is short and being ruffled around by the girl as she licks blood off of his cheek.

"Mmmm Rolo." The girl moans in between licks and chuckles.

The guy now known as Rolo, puts his hands on her hips grinding them together making her gasp and moan as he moves forward giving her the same treatment she is giving him and licking blood off of her cheek. "Mm, did my queen enjoy the meal I got for her." He kisses down her neck spread blood instead of licking it.

Nyma, Keith now knows her as because Rolo keeps moaning it well mouthing at her neck, replies with a breathless "yes" as the two keep licking and kissing.

Keith is gonna throw up. The smell of rotting flesh and blood not helping.

He used a cloaking spell before going into the building, better to be overly cautious. He's seen and kill a lot of vampires, but these two. Lance probably had more power and he hadn't even tasted blood yet when Keith first sensed his magical energy. These two seem like a joke compared to what Keith is used to seeing from vampires.

Keith drags his hand down his face, did he really expect some big bad vampire. This guy was dumb and weak enough to let a human get away, of course they would be stupid, disgusting and horny.

He sigh and turned the corner.

"Ok party's over. Fucking hell." He groan out the last bit feeling irritated, anoyed and wanting to get this over with. The two of them turn in immediate response to his sudden appearance, the girl hissing as she's the first to jump up at him.

 _"Niartser."_  the words echo sharply, even through the dryness and uninterest in Keith's tone.

Nyma only gets out of the other vampires lap because as Keith's words leave him, purple smoke pushes her high into the wall by her neck. Her hiss now from pain instead of her early instinctive show of power.

Rolo only has thime for a short shooked reaction at his mate now being up on the wall, before he's joining her. "A fucking witch." He hisses. "But- they all burnt." It's layered with shook and disbelief, eyes wide as he wiggles against the smoke restraining him to the wall.

"And vampires all killed themselves." Keith say sharp and direct. The male vampire flinches, eyes looking away and then meeting his mates, her eyes are only stearn yet glazed with love as they meet Rolo's and pure hatred as they flicker back to Keith.

Keith squints his eyes at Rolo. "From your reaction I can tell your not bitten in this timeframe."

"We are from Dracula's range, you filthy witch!" The girl screams, yet her words are broken at the end.

"You speak his name as if you're proud." Keith turns just to see her tenses up even through her anger. "The only reason you two would still exist is if you ran away."

"So what if we did." Rolo joint his mate by angering his tone, yet his is weaker then her's. No wonder he let a human get away. "We stood by him and to this day still believe in his-"

"Yet you ran away." Keith says loudly Waiting for a response as the two shrink at his words. When he doesn't get one he thinks he's had enough. "Anyway that gives me enough information on you two but-" he steps closer and with only a small yellow flicker from his eyes does the smoke tighten around their throat. "I would like to know if there are more vampires you know of."

"Even if we k-knew we would never tell you!" Rolo chokes out.

"You talk big but you did let your so called meal get away."

"You what!" Nyma screams, eyes wide as she turnd to Rolo in disbelief.

"Why do you think I'm even be looking for vampires." Keith says matter of factly, moving his hands nonchalantly. "He fucked up. Couldn't deliver for his queen." In vampire culture, it's usually the man that hunt, especially if they have a mate. To bad, because Keith can tell Nyma is stronger then Rolo.

Keith smirks and stretches his arms out over his head and rests his arms on his neck for a bit. "Anyway, I've heard and seen enough. You two are a joke and are going to be a great use to my vampire tooth collection." He claps his hands together, closing his eyes and takes a deep breath, a spell ready on his lips to finish them off.

Then the wind is suddenly being knocked out of him as someone's body launches into his back. Keith didn't sense them, didn't hear them had no time to react as a  hand launches into his hair to turn his head, exposing the right side of his neck, the other hand going to his side just above his hip, the touch is subtle but a clear indication that the other has control. Familiar fear shakes through Keith as his eyes start to glow, instinct takes over as he rips free from the hold and turns when he feels hands realise him.

He's ready to kill, to protect himself even though there's no reason or point to do so. Even if their human he's ready to launch back what they started. Spell ready on his lips, smoke forming from his body and eyes dark yellow as he-

It's Lance.

Keith had only taken one step to get away, turned around in his hold and was met with glazed over blue eyes. He's crying, small sods in between sharp breaths, fear mixed with doubt and tiredness reflected in those tearful eyes. He's leaning back against the witch's back and Keith still to shooked let's him, he whimpers into the raven haired man's shoulder and then Keith realizes, his touches aren't strong, his grip is on the edge of thight, but other then that, Lance seems powerless. No, he's holding back.

He also smells horrible, like vomit and blood, Keith can see his stained clothes out of the corner of his eyes. Lance stays like that, crying into Keith shoulder and breathing in sharply, with every breath Keith can feel him shiver against his back. Why- why isn't he doing anything? It's so easy for him to bite down right now, but his not.

"So h-hungery..." The brown haired man breaths against his neck. "Don't- don't want t-too..." He chokes on a sod and his breathing picks up.

"Lance..." It's laced with confusion and on the edge of a question. Keith's about to turn fully to face the distressed man and question him directly but then a sound has him snapping his head forward.

Fuck.

He forgot about the other two vampires. Lance's sudden appearance had him loss his focus, had his magic be directed at him instead of restraining those two joke's of vampires. So the sound of shoes landing on the ground had Keith come back from his fear and suprise.

It was to late.

Keith might be able to see and sense vampiric magical energy, but physical strength he doesn't know. So the moment Keith's eyes seen Rolo land on his feet and charge for them did Keith know that if he didn't act fast he and Lance would die, Which is be very anoying.

Rolo hisses as he dashes to them and as he comes into the moonlight, out of the shadow from the wall does Keith see his eye have turned blood red. He doesn't have time, he knows he doesn't, Keith is good with long distance fights, he needs time to get the words ready in his head. He closes his eyes, accepting his faith and faulting Lance for this anoyence. Not that it matters, Lance will loss his life just like he will.

"You..."

It's breathless like a whisper colder then ice at the side of Keith's ear and he's sure that if Lance wasn't an inch away from the side of his face he wouldn't have heard him. Keith open's his eyes just in time for wind to dash passed him and he loses his balance from the impact, falling to the dirty floor onto his knees. Looking up to see Lance now having Rolo pushed against the wall by his throat, he's grabbing at Lance's right arm furiously as he chokes out pleads.

Of course, Lance! How does Keith keep forgetting him, his vampiric energy compared to those two makes them look human, why isn't Keith able to see it though? Ooh the searching spell, he blocked out Lance's aura and that must have had a longer lasting effect. That's why Keith didn't sense him coming into the building or now.

"You..." It's loud and broken, emotions so painful it hurts to hear and it snaps Keith out of his thoughts and back to the present.

"You!" Lance is shaking sobs coming through as he tightens his fingers around Rolo's neck. Who's pleading, begging, pulling at Lance's shirt in a despite attempt to breath.

"P-please.. plea-" Rolo chokes out as Lance pushes him harder into the wall.

"You did...." Lance hangs his head, as if for a moment he's rethinking his actions, getting control back but it's sort lifed as his next words rip his vocal cords in anger.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!"

And then his right hand clamps shut, actually severing the head from the body in an instant, blood and pieces of flesh paint the wall and Lance. The headless body sliding from the wall to the floor as more blood and gore slide down with it.

It's silent, only the sound of blood dripping and Lance's heavy breathing, suddenly his breathing jump's into a giggle, then laugher chaotic and mad as he brings his blood covered hand to his face and drags it down from from his hair line to his chin. His legs shake uncontrollably as he sings down to his knees into the pool of blood on the floor. His lachter slowly turns into sods and screams of glass shadering heights as he all but falls over head first into the headless body in front of him, but he somehow managed to catch himself with one hand onto the floor the other being the one he just murdered with going to his chest.

Nyma had fallen down the wall not a second after Rolo dashed towards the witch and Lance. Keith had seen out of the corner of his eyes that she was ready to follow her mate into the slader, but then Lance attacked and now she's looking at the ground, at the severed head of her beloved mate at her feet.

"Ro- Rolo." Her voice so broken as she kneels down with shaking hands to pickup her lover's already cooling head. A choked out cry leaves her as she hugs it close to her chest and sobs into his blonde hair. She stays like that on the ground, but as she hears Lance's laughter and then screams, does her anger take over.

Keith had only been able to watch the events before him, to shooked to do anything, but then he sees Nyma jump to her feet and launch herself towards Lance. Tired blue eyes only looked up at the female vampire, making no move to get away, accepting it as he closes his eyes.

 _"_ _Dnim nwolb!" he_  suddenly shouts, sharp yet with hesitation, as if Keith just remember he could do something.

Nyma's head explodes mid air, covering Lance from his head to his knees in pieces of flesh, blood and probably bits of brain as well. Ever so slowly Lance reopen's his eyes, moving a shaking hand to his face to wipe some of it out of the corners of his eyes and away from his mouth. His body jump's a few times as he gags and then with hesitation he turns and meet Keith's eyes.

Time stops, fear shock and disbelief flowing between them as they just look at each other from there places on the floor, letting the events that just toke place sink in. Keith didn't expect his, yes he expected blood and death and sweet new vampire teeth for his collection, but Lance being here.

It- it made Keith scared and he hated it, hated that he had now saved this vampire and had promised to help him. He was playing with him, back in the shop, scaring him off so Keith could kill him later. What better way to kill someone then by intimating them to making it more fun later. Keith had to give him a solution, had to tell him about the fact the witch's can't turn into vampires, had to offer his help. Lance was here, saved his useless existence and now Keith felt an all to familiar fear and he despised it, despised Lance for it.

Keith opened his mouth, maybe to speak or to attack, his thoughts not getting time to decide because Lance is jumping him. It happened in a blink one moment Lance is sitting on his knees in blood, the next he's got his left hand buried into Keith's hair turning his head exposing the left side of his neck. Keith shock with natural fear and closes his eyes as Lance breaths him in from his hair down to his neck hanging there and pressing his nose so deep into Keith's flesh it almost hurts.

Keith prepares himself for the pain of fangs riping his skin, for the known feeling of death. But it never came, instead Keith feels wetness and that could be the blood on Lance's face and body, but a small whimper and sniffing made it clear that the vampire was crying and with his tears his hold on Keith loosened. Fear now replaced with confusion as Keith open's his eyes, opening his qwivering lips to question why Lance wasn't biting down. An awnser was given before words could leave the witch's mouth.

"I'll kill you.." his words full of tears, broken and weak. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you."  His words get louder with sobs that wouldn't stop coming and the way he's speaking, it- it almost makes Keith feel an unfamiliar fraction of hope. Lance was concerned adout hurting or even killing, he hadn't had human blood even though he's been out and around them for at least three days, to withstand such hunger must have been torture. Lance keeps repeating his words and as they grow into a whisper his sobs grow louder. Keith almost feels pity for him, he doesn't want to help him really doesn't, but who knows maybe Lance is different. He can always kill him later if he has to.

"I'll kill-"

"I'm Immortal!" Like riping off a bandaid, sharp and loud, yet his words break at the end. He cursed the wave of fear going through him knowing he won't die, yet memory's of the past having taken control of his emotions.

"If you could kill me I would let you." He finds himself saying instead, lips quivering with his selfish wish. He feels Lance's body stiffen in shock, so he brings a shaking hand on top of greasy brown hair.

"It's ok....Take as much as you need." Keith doesn't know why those words leave his mouth. Maybe because his fear is making him think irrational, maybe because of Lance and his questionable actions. Keith doesn't have time to wonder long, because then there are suddenly fangs riping into his neck.

The feeling known and does sending Keith into a panic. Hand still on the vampires head pulling on his hair in a desperate attempt to get him off, the other hand pushing at his shoulder or pulling on the fabric of his shirt. Lance didn't even seem to flinch as his hold onto Keith's body tightens and his teeth fasten themselves even more. The witch's eyes go wide open with tears as he screams, thrashing around to get away, legs stuck underneath his own weight but not stoping him from trying to kick free as well. Nothing worked, Lance just groaned and kept going, then Keith felt his own blood flow stop and being pulled to the vampire mouth.

"NO!" Voice raw from screaming and crying as he feels his energy being sucked away. Slowly his fighting comes to a hold, his arms go slack against Lance's body. His already light skin grows pale as the blood is being sucked away from underneath. One last groan leaves Keith's lips as his hand still pulling on Lance's shoulder falls to the ground.

The sounds of wet sucking at his ear growing fainter, edges of darkness tunneling his vision as he looks at the cealing. The familiar feeling of death comes as his eyes fall shut and he leaves his own body and then there's nothing but darkness. No sound, vision or feelings, just nothing.

A glimmer of light like a star in the distance grows brighter, destroying the peaceful darkness in a matter of seconds and then it engulf all of Keith's vision in pure yellow light.

Like a small slap in the face he's back in his body, a small breath through his nose shaking through him as he opens his hazy eyes to once again come face to face with the grey cealing. Sensations slowly come back to him, from his aching skin to his tired eyes. There's a sound by his left ear muffed by his clouded mind.

"Y-you said you w-where-" there's a pause for breath. "I am s-so sorry..." the words where barely audible, maybe because of Keith's foggy mind or because of the crying and sniffing throughout the words themselve.

"Being Immortal doesn't mean I don't die." Keith swallows, throat feeling dry and tight. "It just means I come back." He finishes, voice a dry whisper.

Lance only cries, hugging Keith tight and by doing so getting blood to sinking into their already stained clothes even more. Keith's to dazed to react or care, he just let Lance cry into his bloody shoulder.

They sit there on their knees in an abandoned building, floor covering in blood from multiple beings in the faint glimmers of moonlight. Keith doesn't know why, maybe because of his still recovering mind or the amount of time they spend sitting there, but at some point he finds himself hugging Lance back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KEITH'S SPELL'S
> 
> -"Tel ym lous hcraes, tel ti dnif em tahw m'l gnikool rof."  
> Let my soul search, let it find me what I'm looking for.
> 
> -"Niartser"  
> Restrain
> 
> -"Dnim nwolb"  
> Mind blown


	4. Broken solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance goes back with Keith to Marmora, emotions heavy as decisions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Oh I did it! Have mercy on my brain! I spent my entire weekend writing just to burning this out of me, mainly because I'm scared people wouldn't be interested after s8. I don't know how I feel about this chapter, it's good, it came out just how I imagined it. I just think I'm bad at writing conversations, especially the last part I'm unsure about. Anyway Because I did burn myself out I'll be taking a little break from writing, not to long a week at best, I love this story to much to stay away long. I'll go draw and read other things. I'll probably be writing on Christmas break on that note °˖✧merry Christmas and a happy New year you guys!✧˖°
> 
> Thank you so much for being here, I hope you enjoy <3

Aching, from bones to body, from eyes to soul. Every move a reminder of his tired and worn-out vessel. He walks anyway, following the witch with at least a feet of distance between them to wherever he may lead.

Lance didn't remember a lot, he remembers smells and feelings of anger, blood disgusting on his face and then delicious on his tongue. Remembers the relieve of his body finally shutting up and his hunger settling down, but then he remembers becoming aware of the situation. Fangs unfasting from flesh and only getting a second to lick his lips before everything came crumbling down. He'd killed someone, had taken a live. Had felt so in raged, had seen red eye coming for him just like the night his humanity got taken away from him and it filed him with uncontrollable madness to the point of no return. The situation crashed into him in waves, his surroundings, pools of blood, the body's around him and then the unmoving witch in his arms.

Well all the events were playing in Lance's mind from beginning to end, how out of control and animal like he had become did he hug Keith's pale and liveless body. Somewhere in the back of his mind Keith's words of immortality got acknowledged, but he can't get a grip on any thoughts. Now that his mind is clear, the pain is gone and the hunger has silenced. All he could feel was loneliness.

Even after Keith wakes up, even after they stayed on the ground. Lance felt his own mind isolate itself and he only notice small parts of Keith using his magic to clean up the office. Purple smoke engulfing every drop of blood and then making it disappear as the smoke retract back to Keith. The body's quite literally going up in smoke except for the male vampire's severed head, that shrinks and as Keith picks it up a small box form's around it.

Leaving the adondend building, Keith telling Lance to follow him, here and now feeling himself losing his senses as he walks on autopilot.

Laughter was what got Lance out of his shattered mind and looking to the other side of the road where a group of people are walking out of a bar. They had entered the living part of the city again, it's late probably past midnight, so most people who are out are probably preparing to go home. Looking at the group as they laugh amongst themselve, envy and wanting take over Lance's emotions, what he wouldn't give to be hanging out with friends right now instead of walking behind a witch well his clothes are soaked in blood.

"You sure they can't see us?" Lance says not looking away from the group. When they headed for a more populated part of the city Keith had said he used a cloaking spell or whatever it was, so no one could see them.

A small sigh leave Keith, he doesn't slow his pace as he responds. "They can hear you." He says just loud enough for Lance to pickup, yet when he says his next phrase the volume goes up just a fraction. "So shut up."

They walked in silence after that, avoiding people who they meet on the path so they don't blow their cover. Lance can't imagine the reactions he would get if they saw him, blood drying on his skin and clothes soaked from head to toe.

He feels disgusting and not just on the outside.

They turn a corner and there it is, the small little shop named Marmora. Once at the door Keith pulls out a key from his brown shoulder bag, it's a big old golden key, spot's of rusted already showing. It's far to big for the lock on the door, but still Keith puts it against the silver lock that's surrounded by the wood of the door.

Lance watches as Keith closes his eyes and pushes further into the wood and silver as if it were water, ripples dance through the door and windows as if it's a picture being liquified. He turns the key that's disappeared halfway into the door and in a matter of seconds the watery effect goes up in purple smoke. Keith puts the key back in the bag and simple pushes the door open and walks through, leaving Lance to look with wide eyes and a open mouth in suprise.

"You coming?" Keith says when Lance doesn't follow right away. He holds the door open as Lance steps inside, the door falling shut behind him. Once inside Lance looks around the somewhat familiar shop, the last time he was here he didn't really look around, mind to troubled about the sun problem, how silly that problem seems now compared to all the others.

A groan has Lance looking up again to see Keith's back as he stretches his arms out over his head. "Alright then." He sighs as he brings his arms back down and turns to face Lance. "You go take a shower." He then points to the door behind the counter. "You go through there where my work shop is. Don't. Touch. Anything, you turn right. Don't go into the living room, you turn left into the hallway and then it's the first door on your left agian." He explains and puts his hands on his hips. "You do that, I'll get some clean clothes for ya and get the guest bedroom ready."

_guestbedroom_

"I um.... I can just take the shower and leave." He rubs the back of his neck, cringing at the dry blood there. He can feel a well known feeling he thought he was rid off, but with the events from tonight and the days before. A panic attack was creeping up like a snake at his feet slowly making it's way to his throat. He needs to go home, the fact that he can't well looking like this the only thing stoping him from doing so.

And the witch in front of him.

Keith was just about to walk away, had turned around to do the tasks he just mentioned, but at Lance's words he turned back and made direct eye contact. He gave a sharp look, not angery but on the edge of it, stern yet tired.

"I dare you to walk out that door." He walks closer to Lance, keeping his face the same but as he gets closer Lance clearly sees he's just tired and anoyed. "Shower now." He points to the door and walks with a fast pace around the counter. When he notices Lance still standing in the middle of the shop does he walk to the counter instead, puts his hands on the wood well keeping his back straight, his eyes actually daring him to walk out.

It's an indication of power Lance realises, because immediately memories of the shop engulfed in purple smoke flash before his eyes. He swallows down the lump in his throat as his eyes drop to the floor. He takes a shaky breath and walks behind the counter to the door.

Keith walk's in front of him, they go through the workplace where Lance only gets to take in the enormous bookshelf that goes up to the cealing, the big table with tools scattered around and a few things Keith seems to be working on, an old grandfather clock being one of them.

They go through an opening too the right where you can look into a small living room, Lance can only see a couch and chair standing close to an unlit fireplace. There might be more further into the room, but Lance turns left with Keith down the hallway. The door to the left comes fast, there are three other doors further down the hallway, Keith goes into the first one on the right so Lance is left alone as he opens the door to the bathroom.

It's an ok looking bathroom, very traditional, not big, but not small in the slightest. A curtain hangs in front of the bath and shower, a toilet in the corner and a sinking with a mirror cabinet. Lance walks further into the room and his eyes land on the mirror before he can help it. There's only a floating shirt that was supposed to be white, but it's stained red with blood, you can see bits of flesh underneath the dry layer.

Looking away quickly, feeling his chest tighten and eyes prickle as he all but rips of his clothes, not caring if they get blood on the white tiles. He steps in the bathtub and closes the curtain harshly.

For a moment he just stands there with his hands on his shoulders as he feels his disgusting skin, hugging himself as he looks at the shower drain. He takes a quivering hand to the handle and turns it in. He closes his eyes the moment cold water hit's him, he works blindly to get it to a warming temperature and it surprisingly seems to work. Wet skin a welcoming change from the dry layers of food, vomit and blood.

Lance let's his head hang back to let water trail down his chest and stomach. He slowly open's his eyes, looking at the ceiling and rising steam.

His breathing already shallow as he moves his head down again, he's met with red water flowing over the white of the tub. His legs start to weaken, his vision becomes blurry and shaky. He feels his mind going numb, a hand quickly going to the wall in front of him to steady himself.

His eyes can't look away as they follows pieces of bloody flesh go down the drain. He's going to scream, his legs are going to give out and he's going to fall to his knees and scream as memories of tonight and the days before haunt him. His lips quiver as his eyes file with tears, he closes them and let's his head hang with his arm still stretched against the wall to support himself, but his hand is sliding down. His body is giving out and then-

_Knock Knock_

Lance's body jump's up at the noice and he looks up through the curtains, only seeing shadows from objects. It stays silent for a moment, Lance not trusting his voice to speak so the person on the other side of the door talk's instead.

"I've got some clean clothes and towels." It was muffled by the wood of the door, but Lance could hear a sense of hesitation in Keith's voice.

Lance stands up straighter and clears his throat, trying to do so unnoticeably. "Thanks.." he hopes the sounds of water hide his broken voice.

Then the door opens towards Lance, hiding the person in the doorway but no one walks in anyway, Instead Lance sees a floating shadow, the bottom of it looking like a cloud. Slowly and gracefully it makes it's way through the bathroom to the toilet and carefully moves down to lay onto the closet lid, the cloud going up in smoke and leaving a perfectly folded pile there.

The door softly closed and Lance was left alone.

A smile, unexpected and there for surprising as it curls onto Lance's lips, a hand going up as he feels his lips moving. He hangs his head under the falling water as he closed his eyes, smile not leaving but that's because he doesn't notice it staying. He let's water flow through his hair and over his aching body, mind no longer on the edge of breaking.

Then his legs give out, not harshly, he doesn't fall to his knees and hit the hard porcelain of the bathtub. He acknowledges the drained muscles in his legs and slowly let's himself slide down. Once down he let's his head face the water's beam, face somehow relaxing and by doing so dropping the smile, but it's ok. For now he's ok.

Just so, so very tired.

***

He shampooed his hair and soaped up his body, once done he drys off and looked at the clothes that where brought for him. There where clean black boxer briefs which were appreciated, the pants were just grey sweatpants and he pulls the dark blue shirt over his shoulders.

He opens the door of the bathroom cautiously, still being on edge and being in a strangers home not helping. He walks into the hallway immediately noticing the light coming from his right where the living room lies. So with no knowledge of where else to go does he follow the light and step Into the living room.

Now actually being in the room, he realizes it's must bigger then he thought. The fireplace now with a fire eating away at the wood and showering the room in orange to yellow light. Under the grey couch and chair is a salmon colored carpet, fluffy as it lays there, a drawer were a tv stands Just underneath the carpet. Further into the room there's a small dark wooden dinner table with four chairs and then the kitchen with a grey and white theme. It's cosy, the fire giving it a comfortable feeling and the books and other stuff scattered around the room make it feel alive in away, but there is no one apart from the cat laying in the chair close to the fireplace, having looked up at him when he entered.

Looking around only having one feet on the carpet before he hears someone clear their throat, looking around and behind him not seeing anyone, frowning in confusion when it happens again but louder.

"Up here."

Looking up still confused but then making  
eye contact with the floating man hanging close to the cealing with his legs crossed, book in front of him and a casual look on his face.

"H-hey?" Lance finds leaving his mouth. The raven haired tilts his head to the side and then moves the floating book next to in his face again as he slowly gracefully, hovers down to hang over the coffee table in between the chair and the couch.

He had clean clothes on, sweatpants just as Lance but black and a purple hoodie. There was not blood on his skin or anywhere, Lance had half the mind to mention it but the other half to tired and still on the edge of so much stress decided against it.

"I um-" Lance started, feeling awkward so he started fidgeting from one foot to the other. "My clothes are still in the bathroom, um should-"

"Just leave them there for now, I'll deal with them in the morning." Keith cuts him off, not looking away from his book as the pages flip to the next without him doing so.

"Ok then." Lance whispers to himself still not sure how to act right now.

"You can get something from the kitchen if you're hungery. There's a spare toothbrush in the mirror cabinet. The guest bedroom is at the end of the hallway." Keith didn't look at him well giving the information, he's to the point and nothing more.

It was a strange way of showing hospitality, but he still was, offering food, hygiene, the shower and clothes. Yet Lance was still doubtful, not trusting him due to his previous actions, but at least now Lance know's he has a little bit of a nice side to him as well.

"Um.. I think I'm just going to head to bed, it's been a long night." He only got a hum of acknowledgment as a response, Keith looking very interested in his book.

"Ok, good night then, k-keith." He finds himself saying with hesitation before stepping into the hallway, a hand rubing at the back of his neck.

That has Keith looking up not at him, his book moving away for his face first. He blinks slowly, brows frowning as Lance watches the movement, the word sinking in. Then he's turning his head and Lance meets deep tired violet eyes as Keith looks at him, hesitant, weary, a little confused but with an edge of warmth.

"Y-yeah, sure. Good night." Lance sees Keith adam apple bopping as he nervously goes back to his book.

Lance doesn't want to, but he finds it enduring. A sign that this so called witch has a tender side to him after all.

With that he steps out of the living room and to the last door at the end of the hallway. Opening the door and finding the light switch immediately Lance realises this room isn't intended to be a guest bedroom, it's used as storage. Box's and other useless things pushed to the side of the walls to reveal a twin size bed with clean covers neatly tugged in at the edge of the bed.

The room is a mess yet the bed and nightstand are clean and perfectly prepared for someone's stay. * _At least he tried_ * Lance thinks to himself as he walks over objects to get to the bed. Once he's seeded on the bed a long deep sigh leaves him as he drags his hand over his face and then massages the bridge of his nose.

He can feel his mind still on the edge of breaking, knows that the moment head hit's pillow he wouldn't be able to stop the waves of emotions he's keeping penned up. So he's propering, knowing he can't stop it so getting ready for the breaking of his soul instead. The worst part being that he's in an unfamiliar place, giving him more anxiety to add to everything.

He sighed again, telling himself to accept the fact that this is how it's going to be. He got up and tried to remember the path so he wouldn't fall on the way back to the bed after he had turned of the light, but before he could press the button he heard a faint sound.

Confused he looked around for the source of the sound when it happened again, this time clearly scratching, almost like a knock. His eye land on the door as a little orange paw comes from under the door. A smile comes to his face at the cute act of the cat on the other side of the door, Lance opens the door and is meet with forest blue eyes and a fluffy face.

"Hello there-"

"The names Red sweetheart." The feline says with a sassy under tone as she manoeuvres her way through the messy room and jump's on the bed to lay there, leaving Lance with his hanging mouth by the door  "Come now. Come talk to good old Red."

"A-a talking cat." Is the only thing Lance seems able to say as he close the door. Letting yet another supernatural thing sink in to the mess that it already is.

"After all that's happened to you, this is the thing that gets ya." She states dryly, whacking her tail and waits for Lance to cautiously make his way to the bed and sit down next to her.

"I first and foremost, would like to apologize for." She seems to rethink her next words as she sits back up to look at him. "The first impression. Keith left with you." Thinking back to that, the grumpy expression on the cat's face Lance thought was directed at him, now funny with the knowledge that it was directed at Keith instead.

"That boy's gotten the nasty habit of seeing intimidation as a means to act with.... these kinds of situation." She looks off into the distance, doubting her next words it seems as she softly and a little fondly speaks them anyway. "He did have a good heart once I can tell you that, but with years of..." She doesn't seem to finish, even when Lance gives her time to do so. So he takes his chances instead.

"Immortality." He wanted it to sound like a question, maybe something else had happened and that was the reason for Keith's coldness. Red's face only saddened as Lance spoke that word, confirming that at least as one of the reasons.

"How old-"

"A hundred maybe a thousand years, sense of time because blurry after a while." Her tone is sad and remorseful as Lance try's to remember his history lessons, to think of the things Keith must have been through in those times, but then he frowns as the words settle in his head.

"Wait, you too?"

"I was there-" she starts her words slowly. "I was there when that boy cursed himself into endless torture and I'm here now." She finishes letting the tension linger.

"How-" he clears his throat it suddenly feeling dry. "How did that happ-"

"That's not my place to tell and if your a smart man, you won't ask." Red gives him a stern look, making her tone sharper as she says her next words. "Your still on thin ice boy. He toke in a vampire, don't take that lightly."

The tension stayed after that as they both sat in it. Then out of nowhere a paw presses onto Lance's upper leg, their eyes meet and Lance sees such tenderness coming Red, never thought of a cat portraying such emotions. "I didn't come here to talk about Keith alone. I came for you."

"For-"

"Talk to me. What's happened to you is traumatising to say the least." Lance's face suddenly feels pale, breathing going a little rapidly. "If you don't want to speak to me, now or ever that's fine. I don't precisely know what happened tonight or the other nights but I'm here now to listen if you'd want me to."

The panic that his been pressing down to the deepest ends of his mind suddenly screams to let it's present known. Everything, from the night he was bitten and somehow got away, to the time his skin was hissing from just a single streak of sunlight. From entering the small shop named Marmora for the first time and coming in contact with Keith who had him shaking and scared. From the inhumanly hunger and torture his own instincts put him through, to tonight where he didn't have control over his body and actions.

His body, his soul, everything.

He starts crying, having reached his breaking point as big fat tears fall from his face. Something soft greases his cheek and he looks to see Red stretching her head out to rude against his face in a soothing manner.

"It's alright hun, let it all out."

Lance choks on a sob and doesn't even care about the other embarrassing sounds coming out of his mouth. He's to fast gone, to deep into his own mind.

Red climb's in his lap and puts her paws on his shoulders as she gives head rubs and licks up is hair line. Lance put's his hands around her in a soft hold, her fur feeling nice against his skin.

"I- I just." He tries to speak of the troubles flying around his mind, but words fail as he shakes and continues to cry into Reds fur.

"Hey, honey look at me." Red moves her tiny head and looks into his eyes. She looks so consurnt for him. "Let's lie down, let's get you comfortable."

Red got off his lap to let Lance get under the covers and then she jumped off the bed, getting to the light switch giving a look to see if Lance's head had hit the pillow and then she jumps up to hit the switch.

The room now dark making all the object in it look weird as Lance suddenly can't seem to breath, but then a warm body is curling under the covers with him and fur is once again present to his face as he holds Red close.

"I- I can't-"

"It'll be ok." Red says softly as she presses herself closer.

"No! i-" He chokes, but he want's to tell, want's to acknowledge these things and then push them down the next morning, that's how it always goes. Right now he just needs them out.

"I kill someone- and I don't even r-remember it fully."

Red doesn't respond, just licks or rubs as Lance cries and get snot in her fur. He continues to speak broken words of a troubled mind, let's all his problems fill the dark air. Slowly words start to blur together, his eyes grow heavy and before he knows it sleep has taken him as the comforting warm feeline lays next to him.

***

Waking up was exhausting, his eyes felted dry and crumbly as morning light fights against his still half asleep mind. Eventually he admits defeat and the mess of the room before him because more visible as he rubs his eyes. The window to at the left of the room covered everything in light, the curtains being to short to block out all of it.

Lance sights and rolled over to face the wall on his left and by doing so the pendant around his neck falls on to the white pillow. Lance watches the blue stone and it's wave like carvings. Thinking back to the workplace he walked through and imaging Keith polishing and carving the little stone, his hand went up to touch it before the thought crossed his mind. He follows the pattern and before he can think about the protecting stone to much does he shove it back down his shirt and sits up.

Stretching his arms over his head, sighing at the pops of his joints. He gets out from under the covers slowly, putting one foot on the wooden floor and then the other. Reds gone he realizes, but he doesn't really mind just making a mental note to thank her later when he sees her.

Getting to the door and opening it just a bit immediately he's hit in the face by a sweet smell. Closing the door behind him and going after the nice smell filing his nose, he finds himself going into the living room and then walking to the kitchen as he sees what's in front of him.

A frying pan is casually flipping pancakes well a spatula is working around it to keep it in the pan. Lance watch like a curious child as the pan flip's it high in the air and suddenly a plate is there to catch it, an other batch of batter goes in the pan to repeat the process. Lance steps closer, curiousity having taken the best of him and when he steps to close to the frying pan does the spatula point his way poking him in the chest and shoving him out of the kitchen.

He just got sent out by a damm spatula.

Lance huffed out a breath as he hears a sound coming from the hallway. He goes to look, not really knowing what else to do and realizes the sounds are coming from the workshop, but when he enters there's no one there. Confused Lance looks around, not daring to touch anything but really have the desire to do so, the grandfather clock looks interesting. He hears the sound again and realizes it's groaning.

Looking where he heard the sound coming from, he find himself in front of the big bookshelf. Does- does this guy really have a secret bookshelf door? Going to look at the sides starting with the right and finding nothing, then the left and also finding nothing, but as he moves away from the right side, he sees a light in one of the creases of the wood.

Light purple almost like a little star lost on the wood. So Lance touch's it and as he pushes against it he can feel the wood sliding open revealing a slit of light. Noticing this he puts his hands to the side of the bookshelf and pushes. It's stiff at first, but then it's sliding open as light blind's Lance's eyes.

There's a whole fucking library.

Shelf after shelf, things in pots, drawers and so much more,  Lance can't even see the end to the ceiling or the path's in front of him.

"Holy shit." He breathes out in awe as he looks around him, now being in the weird space.

"Fucking-" a groaning had Lance stop is admiration and walk torts the sound.

Turning around one of the bookshelf to come to a open section where big tables stood in a circle with weird things standing on top of them. In the middle of the circle of tables is the biggest one of them all and there stands Keith, same sweatpants as last night but with a red t-shirt instead. He's got his back turned to Lance and is cursing and grunting at whatever his doing in front him.

Lance is about to walk towards him when Keith turns his back just so, and then Lance sees what he's doing on the table. There on on the dark wood is a severed head, bloody and disgusting as Keith jam's a pair of pliers into it's open hanging mouth, trying to rip the teeth out form a different angle.

Lance didn't want to, with every fiber in his being did he want to shut his mind off to stop it, but it was to late. He recognised the head, if only by the blonde hair.

"Your fucking dead so stop fighting me-" Keith grunts out as he yanks onto the teeth, clearly getting annoyed and then it's out, Keith's arm going backwards with the force behind it, he sighs and a tiny bit of smoke goes to fly around him.

Taking the teeth and flying it somewhere, taking bloody black rubber gloves off of Keith's hands as he walks around the table circling his finger around and as he does so the head on the table fly's up, shrinks to the size of an ant, then the witch snaps his fingers and there's a tinny little flame before it's gone.

His eyes land on Lance, who is glued in place especially now that his seen and keith walks to a table closes to Lance and leans on it with both hands.

"Did you touch my shit?" It's an genuine question, if Keith's sharp look has anything to say.

Blinking rapidly, a bit shocked at the choice of words. Lance opens his mouth but not words come out, he sees Red sitting by one of the tables legs and he somehow found his voice again.

"No?" Why it sounds like a question he doesn't know.

Keith stares him down for a moment, squinting his eyes as if doubting him, then he stands back from the table and puts his hand on his hip. "Cool, you want breakfast?"

Lance doesn't have time to awnser because a plate is suddenly dashing just passed his left ear and another one going over his head, a bottle of syrup lazily following.

"I always make to many anyway." Keith say picking the plate out of the air before it can land on the table and putting syrup on them fast so he can start putting them down his throat.

Red suddenly jump's on the table, putting her tail between Keith and his first bite of pancake in a teasing manner. "He's got the nasty habit of eating pancakes all day."

Lance chuckles a bit as Keith gives her the stink eye and grumpily shoves the bite in his mouth. "What? Is it going to kill me? Oh no the horror." Red just rolls her eyes at his statement and sits on the table away from the food.

Lance had walked up to the table where another plate of pancakes was placed, Red's teasing having eased a little bit of his tension. Looking at the pancakes and remembering the last time he had food, having vomited heavily as a result made him hesitant as he poked the pancakes with his fork.

Keith seemed to notice.

"You need food." Lance looks at him questiondly, so Keith continues with a roll of his eyes. "Vampires need blood, in better words the vampiric magical energy you now have will eat away at you if you don't. Your body still with organs and all that fun stuff, still needs food to sustain itself."

"Ok..." Lance was still doubtful, but he cut the pancakes into pieces as he asked an other question. "So um.. what are you up to? In your magical library." He says laughing awkwardly.

Keith gave him a deadpanned look. "Magical library, really?"

"Humour me."

Keith huffs out a breath. "Well if you're really interested, I'm making a dead body."

Lance was just about to take a bite, had his fork in the air and his mouth hanging open as his eyes widened. "Well technically it's a cloning spell but cloning a soul is close to impossible so. Dead body."

What a great topic so early in the morning.

Lance slowly closes his mouth around the pancake, humming at the pleasant feeling in his mouth and suddenly realizing how hungery he was.

"Um cool, who are you 'cloning'?"

"Well first the old man those two vampires killed-"

Wait there was an old man?

"And secondly, you."

Blinking, not really getting it at first as the heaviness of the sentence gets through to him.

"Pardon?" Lance say as he swallows his pancake maybe a little bit to fast.

Keith leans on his elbows hand's on the table as he makes direct eye contact. "We're faking your death."

"Pardon?!" Lance screams as he slams his fork onto the table.

"Keith!" Red shouts as she steps away from his side.

"Who do you think you are?!" Lance's sudden anger talking for him as he walks around the table.

"Tell me Lance." Keith begins not making eye contact and still leaning on the table. "Now that you've experienced the hunger of a vampire and have tasted blood." He looks at him then, eyes intimating and terrifying, but also a tinny bit sad. "Do you think you can withstand it?"

"I- you can't make this decision-"

"Would you be able to stop yourself now?" Keith stands, stepping closer. "You did good without the knowledge of the taste blood has, but now, do you think you can do it now?"

"We can- I can come here to get blood- we can-" He's despite, his voice breaking as he feels his eyes prickle.

Then Keith slash his hand on the table. "Do you think I will let you leave this shop?! I'll consider you a threat if you do so."

"Keith!" Red's voice is like a warning, but it does nothing to stop him.

"I have a family-" He's crying, stepping backwards to get out of the situation. "This will break them..." It's a plead, his words tinny like a broker whisper. He looks away, closing his eyes, to hurt and not wanting to look at the person in front of him.

"You can't ask this o-of me."

"As I see it, you need my blood, so this is going to be on my turms. I'm giving you a choice, accept or go out there and wait for me to hunt you down."

Lance looks at him out of the corners of his eyes, hating the man he sees. But he has a point, somewhere in the back of Lance's mind he can remember the smells of people and how their very life themselve sounded appetising, he knows he wouldn't be able to control himself.

He's no longer human.

"You don't want to hurt anyone." Keith's tone subbenly gentle as he speaks. "So why endanger them."

Lance can't awnser, he's thinking as he looks to the side, at one of the bookshelfs, his hurting head thanks to crying not helping.

"I'm sorry." That has Lance looking up and just in time to see Keith closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I- I'm sorry it has to be this way, but this is all I can do for you." Keith looks away, expression paint.

Lance takes a deep breath as he massages the bridge of his nose, sniffing a few times as he thinks. He feels softness at his side and looks to see Red giving him a sad look, he rubs her head and swallows to ease his dry throat.

"Can I.... Write a letter? So my parents at least have something." Lance doesn't look at Keith when he says this. Can't show his face when in the back of his mind he knows that he's agreeing to his own death.

"Sure." Keith says softly and piece paper is flying to the table with a pen out of nowhere. "Just don't write about the shop or-"

"I'm not stupid!" Lance snaps as he takes the pen, not looking as Keith walk's away to one of the other table's with his plate flying next to me.

Lance eats his remaining pancakes as he writes, giving his parents, siblings and friends as much as he can, knowing no words can ease the unfathomable hurt that will be fall them, but trying anyway. Red stays by his side as he writes, her presents helping him not cry more with every word.

He puts the pen down, reads the words he put down to explain as best he can. He sighs, knowing this is all he can do yet still it's not enough.

"Your done?" The witch asks, stepping back to the table. Lance looks up at him, he's go a black leather jacket on, his sweatpants changed for dark jeans and his shoulder bag hanging at his hip. _Is this guy a wizard or someth- don't finish that thought!_

Lance folds the letter. "Yeah..." Then Keith slides something over the table. It's a plastic ziplock bag and Lance looks up at the witch in confusion. "So it doesn't get wet."

"Were dumping my body in the river." It's not a question, he's acknowledging the fact and ginning his theeth.

"Yeah...."

Taking a deep breath as he snatches the bag off the table and puts the folded letter in. Puts it back on the table and stares angerly at one of the books around him. Keith picks up the bag and Lance noices smoke out the corner his eyes.

"There, now it's completely water proof."

Lance doesn't response, only closes his eyes to sad and angery to do anything but sit in it.

"Did you... have piercings?" It's an akward tone and has Lance looking up at him in confusion.

His hand goes up to his ear, still feeling a ever so tinny hole. "Yeah, In high school."

"Oh good." The witch gives a sigh of relief, placing a needle on the table- and ok, even if Lance didn't, no way in hell was he going to let this witch pierce his ears.

"Here." He holds out his hand and hesitantly Lance holds out his. In his palm landed two little earrings, the same blue as the pendant.

"They will hide your apprentice. To anyone else but me you will look like someone else."

Eyeing the earrings as if they where offending him does he eventually puts them in, hissing a bit at the stink of not having worn earrings in years.

"Ok let's go." Keith says as he walks around the table.

"Wait, were doing this now?."

"The fastest the better" Keith response simply as he starts walking again. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No." If this is happening he would be there, he has to. "I'm coming." Red rubs his side as he stands up and he scratches her head in return, saying a quick thanks for last night.

"No problem hun."

So they walk, but not to where Lance expected them to go. Instead of the front of the shop they go further into the maze of the library and stop at a wall with a deep red curtain that is being held closed by big golden thread and a-

_Oh your joking_

A broom, old and made of wood and twigs, standing by the wall.

He makes sure he has Keith's eye contact as he speaks his next words.

"Are you serious." It's not a question, because he's questioned all the things that have happened to him, but at least this has to be a joke.

"Bitch I'm a witch, get on." Is all the response he gets after Keith gets the broom from the wall and kicks his  
leg over it.

Lance gives one last mentally exhausted sigh and then gets on behind Keith.

"Hold on." Is Keith's only warning as they lifted from the ground, the thread holding the curtains unties and Lance only has time to see a pinkish bubble like mirror before their going right through.

They're suddenly in the sky, clouds around them and the air feeling cold as it goes past them. Lance will deny any screams leaving his mouth and also Keith's laughter as he does so. They go down and Lance can see a small forest at his feet, he knows that forest and the river running next to it.

They land in between the tree's and Keith's cough is the only thing that has him realising his not moving and his holding onto the other for dear life. He quickly jump's off and watches as Keith puts the broom agents one of the tree's.

They landed near the edge of the river, Lance looking over the nice blue water and feeling the fresh air of the morning as he breathes it in, not at all ready.

Then there's a sudden pull at his hair.

"Au!" His hands go to the back of his head as he looks at the person that just plugged one of his hair out.

Keith isn't looking at him, instead he's going through his bag and getting out a tinny wooden box. Putting it on the ground, Lance sees Keith's eye glowing for only a moment as the box disappears and what's inside gets bigger. It's grey clay that is formed to look like a simple version of a human, legs, arms, head. It's also wearing Lance's clothes for yesterday, blood completely gone. Keith put the hair on top of the poor excuse of a head and starts to speak words Lance can't understand, but then the clay is changing, morphing into skin, growing hair at it's head and then Lance is looking at his own body, eyes closed and skin pale.

Turning his face away from his own dead body towards the water instead, not being able to handle it as he hears Keith ruffle some more in his bag. Out of the corner of his eyes he sees Keith putting the zip lock bag in the jeans pocket.

"Your sure?" Keith dares too ask.

"As if I have other options." Lance breaths, still not looking. "There are no other solutions." He wanted it to sound like a question but it doesn't, maybe because he needed to hear it being said.

"No.... I'm sorry."  He does sound sincere, but Lance has every right not to believe him.

"Just do it." Lance snaps as he moves his face away from the water to the grassy ground.

The body moves a little of an inch off the ground and drops not so far from the shoreline, the current of the river taking it fast as it drifts off.

Lance looks up after he heard the small splash and sees Keith is getting a flip cellphone from his bag and brings it to his ear.

His eyes glow before he talks and the deep,  rustic, voice that comes out of his mouth almost had Lance smiling, but then he hears the words.

"Hi, this is Kevin. I was jogging through the forest when I saw something in the river that- it looked like a body man I don't know, it's freaky. It's near the lions bridge so maybe you guys can check it out at least. Ok, yeah, of course, bye."

He presses the button and fastly turns to get his broom and speaks in his normal voice again to Lance. "Come on, we have to get out of here before the cop's come."

The brown haired man turns to walk and get on the broom, but he stops and balls up his hands at his side. Closing his eyes he turns his head towards the water and reopens them, looking at his own body drifting off the stream.

He says goodbye to his live, the life he worked so hard for and gets on the broom.


	5. Why? (Unfinished)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk finds out....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (why it's unfinished.  
> I live in Europe and on the 22nd Google will update their "privacy policy" it's basically article 13 (there may be more to it but that's the easiest way of explaining it) if you don't know what means you can look it up on YouTube, matpat explains it really well.  
> It could mean I won't be able to go on this site, period. I will try to fight and get back on here somehow. For now, I am going to try and finish the next chapter as fast as I can. I will upload it, finished or not because of the work I put into it and so you guys will at least have that.  
> After the 22nd I will post chapter 6 with a simple "I life" or something just to let you guys know and after that, if 5 isn't finished then I will edit the rest of it on there. If you don't get a sixth chapter a week after the 22nd consider me dead, I will no longer be able to use this site in my country.  
> This sucks, I love curses and blood drop's, it's gotten me to love my writing and I've improved a lot because of it. I love you guys, your comments make me so happy and I saved all of them. There 109 kudos when I'm writing this and I still feel like I don't deserve that.)
> 
>  I hate that I have to post this unfinished. There was so much more to this chapter that might never see the light of day. I feel angery at myself for not working harder and frustrated at my mental state even though this is all out of my control.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for your kind words I've saved them and will hold them dear.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading and if you don't hear from me then I wish you the best and to keep reading it's great. 
> 
> Lots of love, NekoNice<3

A big yawn stretching so wide the corners of his lips might tear. It's a reminder of the lack sleep Hunk had to endure last night. He'd stayed up all night long searching for Lance after he ran out right before his very nose, had searched everywhere he thought Lance might have gone, but even after calling his phone so many times and looking for an hour at least was his friend was nowhere to be found.

Returning to Lance's apartment, the door not even locked and then finding the state it's in. Blood coming from a dead pigeon making a path to the kitchen which is drenched in spoiling food, vomit and other substances that Hunk's mind doesn't even have time to identify because he's once again running out screaming Lance's name in a despite search for his friend.

Until dawn. He searched until his legs felt numb and he dropped to his knees until his voice was raw from calling out in worry for his best friend until the sky was painted in the earliest rosy pink lights of the morning. He admitted defeat, went home with guilt and fear of what might have happened, because what in the hell was his supposed think after seeing Lance's apartment.

He thinks and theories, what could have happened? what happened in his apartment? Why was it like that? Was he really sick or is something else going on? Why did he run away when he saw Hunk.. Why didn't he ask for help?

They have a code, a safety net for one another, a promise to always be there for either other, no matter the reason no matter the situation.

So why?!

Hunk collapsed onto his bed with continuing questions that spiraled into fear of not knowing if Lance was ok and guilt for not being there for him sooner or noticing that something was wrong.

He slept, not comfortably or long but he did get some minutes in before his alarm screeched through the room alerting him it's time for work.

So now here he lays, looking at the ceiling with bags under his eyes and a small flicking hope that Lance will be at work today wearing his fake smile and acting as if everything's ok. It wouldn't be, everything is far from ok but at least Hunk would know where he is, at least Lance would be in reach and Hunk would be able to talk to him.

That's what pushes him to get up. With bags under his eyes and a numb feeling hanging like a cloud over his mind does he get ready for the day. He gets dressed, makes breakfast and lunch, even making something for Lance, checking if he has everything and then he's out the door. Getting to his car, stopping for a coffee on the way to work and getting one with a little bit more caffeine than usual but needing it to keep his eyes open.

Stopping the car's engine, taking the keys out and sinking into the back of his chair with a deep long sigh as he closes his eyes and massages the sides of his head, well the heat in the car seeps out through the cracks, replaced by the chilly October air of autumn.

After dragging his hand over his face and taking another deep breath, feeling the burn of to much air in his lungs. Sitting up straight snapping both his cheeks and pulling the strings of his headband, having developed that habit over the years as confidence, especially doing it if he's unsure.

He opens the door, swings his legs out, locks the car and head's towards the building. Pushing open the glass door, mind to chaotic to noticed anything around him, briefly remembering that he's earlier than usual but not caring in the slides.

Instead he's preparing himself for seeing Lance. Talking to colleagues, teasing Rose or tapping his foot while waiting for the elevator. Imagining his fake smile and the act he would put on when turning to great his best friend, yet Hunk will find relief in seeing it, will give it back to him, give a similar smile that doesn't reach his eyes, acting as if everything is fine and then confront him.

The moment Lance would walk out of the building at the end of his workday, at that moment Hunk will grab him by the arm and drag him to his car. Maybe they'll get in and go somewhere private to talk, maybe they'll talk in the car or maybe in the parking lot. Screams and tears violent word's or vulnerable once, it doesn't matter they can figure all of it out. Hunk wouldn't stop until they've found a solution, it doesn't have to be right away, they can figure that all out in the future but at the very least he wants Lance to regain his trust in Hunk.

He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes well pushing open the glass door with his shoulder. Maybe he did it to prepare himself. Maybe it was because his tired mind didn't want to waste energy on the crowds of people walking through the lobby.

Everything feels numb as he walks. The people around him seeming like ghosts. His mind feels hazy, his skin laying wrong on his body as his bones tremble with every step. A frown wrinkling his eyes to closed slits as everything around him seems to fall into a cold silence. Footsteps, chatter and every other sound echoing as everything comes together to form a mess of static noises choking him with every breath. All this worry so powerful, but he has to face it. Has to face him.

He opens his eyes and-

"Can you believe it.... He was always so cheerful."

_No!-_

"Yeah, just goes to show how good people can hide these things."

_No no no no no nonononono!-_

Near the elevator, almost to the entry of the cafeteria. By one of the pillars supporting the building are people gathered into a circle. It's as if the people walking around suddenly get bigger Hunk shrinking as they grow, the lobby seems to tunnel in with only one center point, the only thing that isn't going blurry in his vision. Between the many legs of people standing there, between all the candles, flowers and letters.

Is a picture of Lance.

He's smiling, a genuine smile that glimmers in his eyes and not only from the glass of the frame.

Hunk's knees wobbly as he walks forward every so slowly. Chest tight and the fact that he's having a hard time taking in air not helping. His eyes are so wide they may fall out of his skull as he eventually gets to stand behind the grouped circle of people.

"What was the reason though?"

Hunk feels his mind fracture into a million pieces.

"Mental issues apparently."

There is a weight on his body crushing him from every side, making his ears ring as he stands frozen in place, eyes unmoving as the pressure of not taking in air is now replaced by a hysterical need for it.

"Damm... that sucks."

He blinked and it was a mistake because when he opened his eyes he had a small hope the picture wouldn't be there, that his friends framed smile would be replaced by a real person faking the smile instead. That didn't happen and the reality of it slapped him so hard in the face that he had to move, had to get away from it because he would really lose the last sense of himself if he had left.

And so his eyes snapped away with the movement of his body, blurring the picture with the motion. Hand going over his mouth if only to get his breathing under control as he closes his eyes. He's walking without thinking, on shaky legs and with closed eyes, he walks away. He doesn't know where he's going just that he needs to get away.

_No, he can't- he couldn't have!-_

He may have walked into some people but a wall is what gets him reopen his eyes. The greyish chipping paint doing nothing to settle his pulsing head. He feels numb, feels raging energy flow through him and boil in his stomach but also an unforgiving sadness that can cripple him in an instant. 

Starting at the wall, trying to get his chaotic breathing and intensive heartbeat under control. Slowly agonizingly so, it works, his mind finds a way out of the spiraling black, there's still static, loud and ear ripping but there's a path out. A path away from the darkness, the only thing on his mind then is-

Why?

So many why's and no way of getting any answers, yet still he believes that Lance will walk up to him when he turns around. That this has to be some sick nightmare products out of fear for his friend's safety. He's suddenly feeling very nauseous, leaning his head against the cool wall and taking slow breathes. He's trying not to think, to focus on himself and on steadying his emotions as selfish as that may be. However It doesn't work, his mind is racing with questions.

A sudden hand on his shoulder, although gently has him tenses up, having forgotten about the world itself, the worry had swallowed him whole. Head snapping over his shoulder and he now realizes that he wandered into the cafeteria, against a wall by the entrance.

Soft eyes filled with concern and sympathy meet his own, the sadness on their face fills the air in waves and their frowned brows giving a serious vibe to the look, yet the shaking hand on Hunk's shoulder gives the mask away.

"Rose!"

"Hey..." She tries to give him a smile but the overwhelming sadness on her face makes it almost invisible. "I didn't think you'd show up. Since you and Lance where so cl-"

He cuts her off, turns around sharply, let's her hand fall from his shoulder and doesn't care that his voice breaks or that his words are filled to the rim with desperation as he speaks his next words.

"Rose what's going on?!"

"What do- you didn't get the email?" She sounds nervous, a little bit panicked as well.

Hunk sharp and fastly shock his head. "My phone's dead didn't change it last night."

_I was looking for him._

Rose looks away, her mask breaking as she bites down on her quivering lip. Closing her eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as she turns to face him again but she's not making eye contact her eyes are directed at the floor.

"They-" she coughs as her voice breaks and swallows around the lump in her throat.

"They found his body in the river this morning..."

He's not sure what happened after that, Rose's lips keep moving and there are tinny tears in the corner of her eyes. The only thing he's sure of is that his nauseous hit's back tenfold and that the world is suddenly spinning. There's no sounds, no feeling on his skin, no thoughts, everything feels numb. No-

Everything feels broken.

"Hunk!"

There's suddenly a hand on his shoulder steadying not only his shattered mind but also his shaking legs. Rose's helps him lean back against the wall so he doesn't sink to the ground, Hunk tilt's his head back and closes his eyes.

"Hunk i-"

"No please just-" There's no strength in his words, he hardly has any in his body to begin with so his words are merely a sigh. He massages the bridge of his eyes with quivering fingers and tries to breathe, to get a little bit of himself back under control.

Rose gives him time, stands with him in silent support and slowly but surely Hunk's body stops shaking. His mind is still in outraging chaos and his emotions a mix of sadness, guilt, and anger. He reopens his eyes and open's his mouth to talk but no sound comes out, so he takes a deep breath and tries again.

"I- I should go home-" He's already moving away from the wall. "I can't-"

"Hunk." He stops and turns at Rose saying his name in such a broken voice and sees how on the brink of tears she is as she looks at him.

"I- I knew something was wrong but-" they fall, big tears roll over her cheeks as she looks to the ground and continues to speak sobbing words. "B-but I never thought that- that he-"

"Rose." He cuts her off, his voice coming out stern instead of sympathetic. He places his hands gently on her shoulders. "This is.... A lot and I just can't right now so." He sighs, an irritant sigh at his own emotions.

"No I shouldn't have- it's ok." She sniff's in a deep breath through her nose and breaths it out through her mouth. Wiping the tears away and leaving her eyes red and puffy. "I'll be ok." She whispers. "I'm here if you need me."

He smiles at least he hopes so, he gently pulls her in for a hug that she happily reserve's. "Right back at ya." They separated and before Hunk turns to walk away he asks. "How about you? You ok to work?"

"I won't be staying long, I just needed a little bit of normality otherwise I- I would just stay home and..."

"I get it."

Rose look's to the floor nervously. "Don't lock yourself up, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks Rose."

She nods and gives him a kind look and Hunk tries to return it as best he can but all his energy is gone, he feels that if he stays any longer he will explode so with that he turns and walks.

As fast as his shell-like body can go in this state, eyes only on the glass doors like he was walking on a rope and taking his eyes off the door would mean falling, but he can feel the picture as he walks past it, can feel it's presence not just from the crowd of people standing near it, he can't get his body away from it fast enough. He's at the door and fresh air does his mind good if only for a bit. He feels like it takes forever to get to his car and fumbling for his keys doesn't make it any easier, but finally he's in his car.

It's not warm, but he doesn't really care, he also doesn't turn the car on to change the temperature. Instead, he puts the back of his seat down and goes down with it.

It's hard to breathe, his throat feels tight so his breath picks up. His emotions suddenly take control, surprisingly and simultaneously unsurprisingly his anger takes over, anger towards his job, towards the world. Angry at himself and most shamefully of all.

Angry at Lance.

The anger builds and builds until it's all too much, everything, it all comes out in rage even if it's unnecessary even if his anger is at the things out of his control, but it's unstoppable. He kicks and hits, hurts his legs on the on the panel underneath the steering wheel and his hand on the actual steering wheel. He screams and screams until there's nothing left of him. It takes a while for him to stop to get control back and even then he didn't feel better, but he did feel certain, a certainty that was burning him as much as the rage had but it gave him a goal of sorts.

Because no way is he going to stand for this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it? Feedback is appreciated if you have any. Hope to see you again soon <3
> 
> (Come stalk me on Tumblr: thenicefan)


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